Wings of Spirit
by Blaze of the Summer Sun
Summary: After the explosion at Jade Mountain Academy, Carnelian wakes up in a strange place where everything is gray and all the dragons she meets are dead. Teaming up with Kestrel and a band of others with varying motives and backstories, she sets off to discover the secrets of this odd afterworld and find a way out. However, not everyone here has the others' best interests at heart...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

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Chapter One

When Carnelian awoke, she found herself in a strange place. Everything she could see was a dark, uniform gray. Mist spiraled at the horizons, hiding whatever was there from her view. For a few moments, she was confused. _Three moons,_ she thought. _Where in Pyrrhia am I? How did I get here?_ She might have thought it was a dream, but nearly all her dreams were about battling and no one ever wondered things like this when they were dreaming.

She tried to think back, to see what the last thing she could remember was. Oh, right. She'd been heading to class in that stupid Jade Mountain Academy, or whatever it was called. History class, if she remembered correctly. She'd seen some sort of commotion outside the history cave. Her NightWing clawmate had been collapsed on the floor and, as she might have expected, everybody else was worried about her. The rest of her winglet had been gathered around the black dragonet, minus Umber the MudWing, who was the only one of the bunch Carnelian could stand.

"Hey, Carnelian," Qibli the SandWing had called. "Don't go in there."

"Why not?" she'd demanded, impatient to get where she was supposed to be going. Queen Ruby had just denied her request to go home, so she supposed, out of loyalty to her queen, that she'd have to put more effort into her studies and earn her approval that way. She would much rather be fighting, but no one else wanted to fight anymore. Typical.

"Uh," the SandWing said, clearly making something up on the spot. "One of the torches got all smoky, the whole cave smells. Needs to air out."

Carnelian was fairly sure he was lying, but she sniffed the air just in case. "Smells fine to me," she growled, but of course, no one was paying her any attention anymore. Kinkajou, the constantly chattering RainWing, was too busy trying to get Moon out of the corridor, and everyone was fretting over the NightWing again. They started discussing who else was in the cave, but it really didn't matter. Everyone was _supposed_ to be in the cave. It was almost time for class. If Carnelian had to go, everyone had to go. That was only fair.

"You're an idiot, SandWing," she declared. "It's perfectly fine in there." He was probably trying to play a prank on her or something. She wasn't falling for it. She took a step into the cave before any of the other dragonets could say anything else.

"No!" Moonwatcher cried behind her, but Carnelian only snorted. What was wrong with that NightWing now? She talked all night in her sleep, always about things that made absolutely no sense. Now she was freaking out over a problem that wasn't there. She was clearly delusional; Carnelian was surprised that none of the Dragonets of Destiny had noticed yet and started fussing over her, the way they fussed over everyone who had even the tiniest problem.

 _I deal with my problems all on my own,_ Carnelian remembered thinking. _Why is it so hard for everyone else to do the same?_

Then, all of the sudden, there was a bright flash of light and a sound like thunder. After that, a flash of pure agony went through her entire body. That was the last thing she could recall.

 _By all the stars, what was that?_

Carnelian shook her head, confused. She felt as though she should know the answer to this question, but she didn't. It was how she felt every time she walked into a classroom and tried to learn something. Stupid. Ignorant. Dim-witted.

Maybe if she wandered around for a little while, she would find some clue as to where she was and how she got here. So she got to her feet and stomped off in a random direction. _First school, now here. I knew I shouldn't have left the Sky Palace. Everything went wrong as soon as I did._

For the longest time, she didn't see anything different. She wandered aimlessly through the gloom and the darkness, her annoyance slowly giving way to anxiety. She could see no way out of this place. She was starting to fear that she would be stuck here forever. _Even being trapped in a cave with my boring clawmates was better than this. There, I knew I could leave eventually. Here? I'm not sure._

Finally, Carnelian saw something other than gray ahead of her: a speck of red. She quickened her pace, a wave of relief coursing over her. From this distance, she couldn't tell what it was, but it wasn't mist or empty space, so it was a start. As she approached, the red dot grew into the vague shape of a dragon, then into the clear image of a SkyWing. Carnelian briefly wondered if it could be her reflection. It was coming toward her at about the same speed that she was moving, and it was the same color as she was. A reflection wasn't as good as a real dragon, but at least it would mean that there was water or a mirror here, which was far better than just empty gray space. But as they closed the remaining gap between them, Carnelian saw that the other dragon was far bigger than she was, and she had yellow eyes rather than Carnelian's orange.

"Oh," the other dragon said abruptly. "You're not the one I was looking for."

With that statement, the bigger SkyWing turned to leave. Startled, it took Carnelian a few moments to find her voice. "Wait!" she shouted. The other dragon paused, glancing bad-temperedly over her shoulder. "Do you know where we are?" Carnelian asked, in a quieter voice. "I just got here, and I have no idea what's going on."

The older dragon tilted her head at Carnelian, scanning her from horns to talons, snout to tail-tip. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice harsh, but also curious.

"Carnelian," the dragonet said, lifting her chin. "Soldier for Queen Ruby. I am also, quite reluctantly, a student at the Jade Mountain Academy. Who are _you_?"

"Jade Mountain Academy?" the other SkyWing echoed, her forehead creasing with confusion. "Three moons, I must have been here longer than I thought. What is this academy you speak of?"

Carnelian regarded her with suspicion. "Tell me who you are, first."

"Kestrel," the larger dragon said after a few moments. "A member of the Talons of Peace. Or, I was, anyway. You may have heard of me, depending on how old you are."

"I have heard of you," Carnelian said, surprised. "You were a soldier for Queen Scarlet, but after she tried to kill your dragonets, you disobeyed her and fled. One of your dragonets is dead, but the other became Scarlet's champion, Peril. But…" Carnelian paused, starting to feel uneasy. "I've also heard that you're… dead."

This dragon couldn't be Kestrel. She had to be lying. Dead dragons couldn't walk around and talk to living ones. Unless… No. It couldn't be. Panic started to rise within the SkyWing dragonet. _No, no, no… That can't be right. It just_ can't.

"Well, looks like it's time for a rude awakening," Kestrel observed briskly, without even a hint of sympathy. "I'm not the only one here who's dead. You're dead, too."

For a few heartbeats, Carnelian didn't feel anything at all as she struggled to process Kestrel's words. Then the shock hit, making her legs get all weak and wobbly. She half-extended her wings to catch her balance. When she looked up to meet Kestrel's eyes, searching for a sign that maybe this was some sick joke, the older dragon's gaze was emotionless.

Some sympathy would have been nice, but there was also something calming about the blankness in Kestrel's eyes. _Toughen up, lizard,_ they seemed to say, but without the contempt that normally would have accompanied the phrase. Carnelian took a few deep breaths, trying to regain control. It took several minutes, but eventually she managed to still the trembling in her talons and her wings.

"I don't even know what happened to me," Carnelian admitted. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. And I shouldn't fret over being dead, either; it clearly isn't as bad as it's made out to be, if I didn't even realize I was dead when I woke up here. There's nothing I can do about it anyway."

Kestrel tilted her head to one side, seeming almost impressed. "You accepted that faster than most do," she said. "But I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less from a SkyWing."

 _So I'm not the only dragon who isn't all about embracing the other tribes' strengths and realizing we're all the same,_ Carnelian thought. _There are some dragons who still believe their own tribes are the best without a doubt._ The idea was refreshing.

"So, do you know why we're here?" she asked Kestrel. "I thought we were supposed to be reborn after we died. I'd assume I have to wait a little while, since I just died ( _it sounds so weird when I say it aloud,_ she thought), but you died months ago. Why hasn't your spirit returned to Pyrrhia?"

"I don't know if all that rebirth stuff is true," Kestrel replied, "but I do know that there is some way to move on from here. I haven't found it yet, but there would be far more dragons here if we all just stayed here for eternity." She was quiet for a moment. "I haven't met anyone I knew in life, yet. Just a few unimportant dragons who died in the war."

"We must be here for a reason," Carnelian said, trying to be logical. "Other dragons might send you to do pointless things, like go to school, but I doubt the universe would."

To her surprise, Kestrel barked a laugh. "I like the way you think, dragonet. But if there's a reason, I haven't figured it out yet. If you'd like to try to answer that question yourself, be my guest."

"I will, then," Carnelian said, not sure whether to feel flattered or offended. "Is there anything else I should know about this place? Like, do we need to eat? Or sleep?"

"There's no food here," Kestrel said. "So no, we don't need to eat. I'm not sure if we need to sleep, but I sleep anyway. There're only so many hours of seeing blank space that I can take in a row."

Carnelian laughed. Despite herself, she was starting to like this dragon. "All right," she said. She hesitated, then added, "Thank you for telling me all this. As much as I hate to admit it, I would be completely lost right now if I hadn't met you."

Kestrel shrugged. "Don't thank me. It's not like I did you any real favors. I can't get you out of here, and I don't even know which direction to point you in."

"Still, I'm far ahead of where I was twenty minutes ago," Carnelian argued. For whatever reason, it seemed important to make this dragon see just how much she had done for her. It was an odd sentiment; usually, Carnelian hated thanking anyone for anything. "I didn't even know I was dead."

"Well, you do now." Kestrel turned again to leave, then hesitated. "By the way… be careful. Not everyone here is as friendly as me, and considering the fact that no one has ever called me friendly in my life, you'd better watch your back. Some dragons here aren't just mean. They're dangerous."

Carnelian shivered, suddenly feeling cold. "I'll keep that in mind," she said.

But in truth, her mind wasn't on the dangers of this new world she found herself in. The word 'friendly' had stirred something in Carnelian's memory: her first day at Jade Mountain Academy. That bubbly RainWing and her crazy NightWing companion had been trying to guess her name. _"Maybe her name is Friendly,"_ Kinkajou had said, giggling madly. _"That would suit her so well… I'm sure she would_ love _to be called Friendly. Let's do that until we find out her real name."_

At the time, her words had angered Carnelian, but now the SkyWing felt something worse. There was an aching feeling in her chest that reminded her of grief. _Three moons,_ she thought. _I can't be_ missing _those ridiculous dragons, can I? That would be a new low for me._ But all the same, she was struck by a sudden dread at the thought of being alone.

"Hey, listen," she said to Kestrel, trying to sound reasonable. "I know you probably don't want any companions, but if this place is so dangerous… don't you think it would be better to stick together? Besides, I meant it when I said I was going to try to figure out why we're here. Don't you want to know? Don't you think that might be the key to figuring out how to leave this place?"

Kestrel was silent, her forked tongue flicking in and out of her mouth as she thought. "Fine," she said at last. "You're right; we'd probably be able to accomplish a lot more together. Besides, you still haven't told me about this 'Jade Mountain Academy' you went to before you died, and I was serious when I asked you about it. You can tell me as we walk; there's nothing to be gained from loitering around here any longer and I'm quite impatient to be on my way."

"Where are you going?" Carnelian asked.

"Nowhere in particular," her companion admitted. "But I don't pretend to know all the secrets of this afterworld. I'm sure there are still things here that I have left to find, and I intend to find them."

"Then I guess I'll find them with you," Carnelian said, and they set off into the gray oblivion together.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the first chapter (or have any constructive criticism to offer), please leave a review. Have an amazing day!**

 **-Blaze**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to both MCZ and frosty polar bear for their kind reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. :) I apologize if the next few chapters are a bit slow-paced; it'll get better as the group gets larger.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

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Chapter Two

"So…" Kestrel said, after Carnelian finished telling her story. "Those dragonets did end the war. Hmph. I didn't think they had it in them. Good to know the last six years of my life weren't a waste."

"I forgot you were one of the dragons who raised them," Carnelian said. "How did they turn out such goody-two-talons? They don't seem anything like you."

"I think they were influenced more by each other than they were by any of their guardians," said Kestrel. "I tried to bully them into showing some strength, but they refused to get aggressive. Except Tsunami, who was a brat. The rest were pathetic. But it seems as though they didn't really need what I taught them to end the war."

"They would have died several times over if they were any more pathetic than they already are," Carnelian said. "As it is, Clay was crippled by a snake bite and Starflight was blinded by an erupting volcano. The other three are okay, though. Glory even became queen of the RainWings. And the NightWings."

"How did that happen?" Kestrel asked with an incredulous snort.

"It's a long story," Carnelian said. "I don't know all of it."

"Hmph," Kestrel said, swishing her tail in a displeased manner. "Well, with any luck, we'll run into someone who does eventually. Not that I care, mind you," she added, with a disparaging sniff. "I'm just curious."

Carnelian made a noncommittal noise. She wondered if Kestrel really did care about the dragonets or not. If she'd spent six years with them, it seemed unlikely that she didn't have any fond memories of them at all. Then again, looking at Kestrel's personality and how different she was from the Dragonets of Destiny, maybe it wasn't out of the question. Carnelian had known the dragonets for three days and she had already been sick of them.

"How often do you encounter other dragons here?" she asked, changing the subject to something she found more interesting. "Not that time really seems to apply here, but we've been walking for quite a while now."

"It varies," Kestrel said. "Sometimes I go for what seems like days without encountering anyone, but other times I'll find two dragons within an hour. Or, what feels like an hour, anyway," she amended. "In reality, it might be the same amount of time. As you yourself so graciously pointed out, time can't be measured here, so it doesn't apply. It's all in our heads."

The idea made Carnelian's head spin. She hated learning or trying to figure out complex logic questions; it only made her feel more stupid. "I don't think something that big could fit in my head," she grumbled.

Kestrel glanced at her, seeming slightly amused. "You aren't too sure of your own intelligence, are you?"

Carnelian rolled her eyes. "I may not be a good learner or know very many things, but at least I don't let my sentimentality get in the way of my judgment." _I did when I asked to join you only about an hour ago, but you don't need to know that._ "In my opinion, that makes me far more intelligent than half the dragons at that academy."

"True," Kestrel conceded.

They walked for a while in silence. Carnelian didn't need to talk; just the fact that she wasn't alone made the companionship worth it. Since there was nothing in front of her to get in her way, she was free to look around as she walked, scanning the emptiness for any signs of life. _Or not-life, since we're all dead here,_ she thought. It was morbid, but it was a little amusing.

Carnelian soon found out a way to measure distance and time; not accurately, but vaguely. "Is it normal that my legs hurt?" she asked. "It doesn't seem fair that I still feel fatigued even though I'm dead. I would think that would be one of the few upsides of being dead: not getting tired."

Kestrel shrugged. "Mine aren't bothering me yet, but I wouldn't object to resting for a while. Like I said, endlessly walking through a sea of gray emptiness gets boring after a few hours."

"Or what feels like hours," Carnelian said.

Kestrel reached out one wing and swatted her. Even though she was dead, she still felt it.

"Another thing that isn't fair," Carnelian complained. "We feel pain. If we still have to deal with the bad parts of life, shouldn't we get the good ones, too? But _no_ , we can't even eat or drink. Because that would be too nice for the afterworld."

"Well, I wasn't exactly the nicest dragon in the regular world," Kestrel said. "And from what I've seen of you, you weren't either. So maybe that's why we don't get nice things."

"Bah," said Carnelian. "If we get punished for being mean, other dragons should be punished for being too annoying. Their afterworld should be full of annoying things."

Kestrel seemed amused. "For all your flaws, dragonet, you do have one redeeming quality. You know how to make me laugh."

She tried not to show it, but Carnelian was pleased by this. If she was going to be stuck roaming an empty land for a long time, it was good to have a companion who liked her. "Well. You're probably the first dragon who thinks the word 'amusing' describes me. Everyone else in Pyrrhia thought I was nothing more than a grump."

"Well," Kestrel acknowledged, "you are a grump."

"Thanks," Carnelian said.

"You're welcome," her companion replied, with equal sarcasm. "But… I know a thing or two about being a grump. You aren't grouchy for no reason, regardless of what others say. I have my reasons for being rude and impatient. I know you do, too."

 _Do I?_ Carnelian thought. _I thought I was just grumpy because everyone else was annoying. Unless that's what Kestrel meant, and she agrees that that's a perfectly valid reason for being mean._

"Anyway," Kestrel said, settling herself on the ground. "I may not care about those spineless dragonets I helped raise for the Talons of Peace, but there is one dragonet I do care about." She was silent for a few moments, but Carnelian didn't try to rush her. She knew that wasn't the best idea, especially considering how much bigger and stronger her companion was. If Kestrel decided to attack her, she wasn't at all sure she could win the fight that ensued.

"Peril," the older dragon finally said. "How is she?"

"I'm not sure," Carnelian confessed. "I don't know her very well, although I have seen her a few times. Queen Ruby didn't want her in the Sky Kingdom, but she's all right; she came to Jade Mountain the day after I did. She's friends with Clay."

"I know she's unusually fond of that daft MudWing," Kestrel said. "I'm not sure why, but if he makes her happy, I suppose I shouldn't complain." She rubbed her front talons together, clearly lost in thought. Her palms made a strange rasping sound as they slid over one another.

Carnelian tilted her head, trying to figure out why her scales would be making such an odd noise. Then she realized that Kestrel's palms were scarred by burns. _Those must be from Peril,_ the dragonet thought. _I wonder how she discovered that her daughter had too much fire. Did she pick her up and learn the hard way that she was too hot to touch?_

Kestrel gave herself a little shake. "Anyway, you've been mentioning that Ruby is queen of the SkyWings now. What happened to Scarlet? Did her daughter finally muster up enough courage to challenge her, or did she meet her doom some other way?"

"She's not dead, unfortunately," Carnelian growled. "After Glory attacked her and the dragonets left the Sky Kingdom, Scarlet disappeared. No one was sure whether she was still alive or not, but eventually she turned up in Burn's weirdling tower with her face all melted. Ha! I can tell you, she sure wasn't happy about having her good looks messed up. But then your daughter set her free and she disappeared again."

Kestrel hissed softly. "I thought Peril was smart enough to know by now that Scarlet doesn't care about her. Why would she go back and become her tool again when she could have been free of her forever? What an idiot."

It appeared that even Kestrel's daughter wasn't exempt from her disdain. "Well," Carnelian said, "I have nothing against her myself, but most dragons really hate her. Maybe she thought that if she wasn't going to get anyone on the dragonets' side to trust her anyway, she would be better off on the winning side if Scarlet ever came back to power. Not that that's ever going to happen, mind you. Ruby is a better queen than her any day. Besides, I'm here to–" her voice broke off. She had been about to say that she was there to protect Ruby, but she wasn't anymore. She couldn't protect anyone now. She hadn't even been able to protect herself.

Kestrel wasn't paying her any attention, so she didn't notice the sudden change in Carnelian's mood. Perhaps it was better that way; it wasn't like Kestrel could possibly have anything nice to say to her about it anyway. Carnelian paused to collect herself. _I'm already dead. There's no use feeling sorry for myself. I can't do anything to change it, I can't go back. It's better to make the best of the situation I'm in than waste time wishing I was in a different one._

"I'm going to sleep for a while," Kestrel said abruptly. "Wake me up whenever you wake up. Or don't. It doesn't really matter either way." She curled up with her back to Carnelian and didn't say another word. Soon she was snoring.

Carnelian supposed that snoring was an okay price to pay for companionship. She lay down on the ground, if it could be called that, a few feet away from Kestrel to give the older dragon a bit of space. Then she closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take her away from this lonely place.

* * *

When Carnelian awoke, Kestrel was already up, stretching out her wings and each of her legs. Carnelian sprang to her feet as quickly as possible, worried that her companion would be impatient with her the way a general would be with her soldiers for sleeping late, but Kestrel only blinked and said, "Take your time. There's no rush in a timeless world."

That seemed contradictory with what she had said the day before (or what seemed like the day before) about being impatient to be on her way, but Carnelian didn't point that out. She stretched her own muscles, rubbing at her eyes with one palm despite knowing it was a bad habit. Luckily, the one nice thing about the afterworld she'd noticed so far was that it didn't have dust; her eyes didn't sting or itch when she was finished.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are," she announced. That way she didn't leave Kestrel waiting for a response, but it didn't seem like she was rushing her either. While she waited for Kestrel to reply, she gazed around, looking for anything that wasn't gray in the world around them.

At first Carnelian thought she was imagining the black speck on the horizon, but as it drew closer and got bigger, she realized that it was a dragon after all. "There's someone coming," she told Kestrel, who was immediately at her side. The older SkyWing squinted into the distance.

"A NightWing," Kestrel said after a few heartbeats. "I thought it might have been a RainWing, but it's much too muscular. I suppose we'd better wait for whoever that is to get here."

"You don't want to go toward him to make it easier for him?" Carnelian asked.

"Definitely not. That's the way we came. I don't want to waste even a minute going back."

Carnelian privately thought they would waste more time waiting, but didn't say so aloud. Instead, she shifted impatiently from foot to foot as the NightWing slowly ambled toward them. Finally, he caught sight of them and quickened his pace a little, but he still moved not much faster than a snail. "Three moons, hurry up," she grumbled.

Finally, the NightWing got close enough for them to see his face. Carnelian blinked in utter shock. "I wasn't expecting to see you here," she said as he came to a stop in front of them. "You're one of the NightWings from that awful school, aren't you? Bigbutt?"

"Bigtail," he corrected, frowning.

"Same thing," she said dismissively. "The point is, I know you. How did you die?"

"Die?" he echoed, stunned. "Did we die? Is that what this place is? The afterlife?"

"No," Kestrel said, sounding impatient. "This isn't the final place we can go. There's a way to move on from here, but before you ask, we don't know how to do it. Come on, you should know all this, shouldn't you? Haven't you all been telling us for years that NightWings are the smartest tribe of dragons? Well, clearly you aren't. Anyway, to my understanding, this is more of an in-between kind of place. After true life, but before the afterlife."

"When you put it like that, that makes it _more_ confusing," Carnelian grumbled. "You're only going to confuse him, which is going to make it harder to get clear answers out of him."

"Who said I was going to be giving you any answers at all?" Bigtail asked defensively. "As your companion just pointed out, I don't know anything about this place."

"I didn't mean about _this place,_ I mean about the place we came from," Carnelian said, exasperated. "Jade Mountain Academy, in case you can't remember." Bigtail huffed, looking even more offended, but she cut him off before he could speak. "What happened? Weren't you supposed to be in the same class as me? It was something in the history cave, wasn't it?"

"Slow down," Bigtail said. "Yes, I was supposed to be in the same class as you. Yes, the last thing I remember _was_ in the history cave. I don't know exactly what happened, but I remember it being really, really hot. I think it was a fire or something."

"A fire?" Carnelian thought about it for a while. "It can't have been. It was all rock in there."

"If the fire caught on the maps and things, wouldn't it be possible for it to spread?" Bigtail asked slowly, as though he was thinking about it while he spoke.

"Not that fast," Carnelian argued. "I just walked in and _boom,_ something hit me. Unless someone breathed fire directly at me, it wouldn't have been able to get to me that quickly. And no one's fire would be hot enough to instantly kill me."

"What about that Peril dragon?" Bigtail asked. "I thought I heard someone say that her fire was hotter than anyone else's. Maybe she breathed fire at you."

Carnelian expected Kestrel to leap to her daughter's defense, but the older SkyWing didn't say anything at all. Did she not care what anyone said against Peril? Or did she think it was possible that Peril really did kill them?

"I think one of us would have seen her standing there," Carnelian pointed out, trying to be reasonable. "Besides, she wasn't even supposed to be in that class. There were only two winglets there, mine and yours. I'm the SkyWing from my own winglet, obviously. The one in your winglet was Flame."

"Maybe _he_ breathed fire at you," Bigtail said.

"We already established that no one's fire except Peril's is hot enough to kill me that fast," Carnelian growled. "Don't be stupid. Besides, if neither of us saw what happened, we must have both been hit at the same time. We weren't even standing near each other, so it couldn't have been anyone's fire-breathing."

"You're sure you both died from burns?" Kestrel asked.

"That's what it felt like," Bigtail said.

"I'm not sure," Carnelian admitted. "All I remember is pain. But yes, it's possible."

"Then it has to have been an explosion," Kestrel decided. "That's the only thing that could have hit you both at the same time. Explosives aren't hard to come by, either, so it's perfectly possible someone at the school had one."

"But who in that school full of brainless, sensitive dragons could have wanted to hurt anyone?" Carnelian asked. "They're all about peace and love and all that gushy stuff."

"The founders are, I daresay," Kestrel said drily. "But that doesn't mean their students are."

Carnelian rounded on Bigtail, who jumped away from her and threw his wings up to block his face as though he expected her to breathe fire at him. "Do you know who could have done this? Oh, stop being a big baby," she added impatiently. "I'm not going to attack you."

"You're dead already, so you have nothing to lose from being attacked by her anyway," Kestrel pointed out.

Bigtail shrugged, but relaxed a little. "No, I can't think of anyone who would want us dead."

Carnelian hadn't thought about it that way before. _I know everyone thought I was grumpy, but who could have possibly hated me enough to want to kill me?_ The thought of someone purposely trying to murder her in cold blood made her feel uneasy. _What if Queen Ruby demands my killer's life in the name of justice and he or she ends up here? I know Kestrel seems to think we can't die again here, but she did say that some dragons are dangerous, so maybe she's more afraid than she's letting on. Besides, Kestrel's thwack did hurt a little earlier; clearly that means we aren't completely safe from harm, and I don't want to find out the hard way how far that goes._

"Well, if you don't know, you're no use to me," Carnelian said. "All right, you can stay or go, your choice." She really didn't want an annoying dragon like him tagging along, but she supposed that she ought to give him a chance.

"I'm going," said Bigtail. "The two of you would probably kill me if I said one wrong thing to you."

"We can't kill you if you're already dead," Kestrel growled, shaking her head in exasperation. "Didn't I already say that?"

"Still," Bigtail said. "Really, thank you for the offer, but I'd rather stay on my own for now."

"Suit yourself," said Kestrel.

"If you find out anything else, let me know," the NightWing said. "Okay?"

"Not sure if we'll ever see you again or find the answer, but if we do, fine," said Carnelian.

"Okay," Bigtail said. "Thanks. See you around, I hope." With that, he slowly made his way onward. Carnelian watched him go until he was out of sight, and thankfully Kestrel didn't snap at her for waiting. When the NightWing disappeared into the mist on the horizon, the two SkyWings continued on without a word.

It was some time later when Carnelian spoke. "Do you think we'll actually see him again?"

"Probably not," Kestrel snorted. "I don't think I've ever run into the same dragon twice."

Carnelian looked back over her shoulder in the direction the NightWing had gone. "Oh. Do you think we should have tried harder to convince him to join us, then?"

"No!" Kestrel looked horrified by the idea. "I'm glad you didn't! That dragon would only slow us down. I don't know about you, but I don't like having useless dragons for company."

"I don't either," Carnelian said. "But he could have been some use in a fight."

"I doubt it," Kestrel scoffed. "NightWings have never been the best fighters, and their attitudes are obnoxious. I've never met a single one that I liked." Smoke began to pour out of her nostrils, only adding more gray and fog to the gloom around them.

Carnelian thought about her own experience with NightWings. The only ones she'd ever met were the ones at Jade Mountain Academy. Starflight, the librarian, who was obviously too soft, but not as irritating as some of the other dragons she'd met. Fatespeaker, who was the definition of irritating, with her endless enthusiasm and constant hints that she actually had powers, when it was already proven that none of them did. Bigtail, of course, who was so dim-witted and slow that she quickly became impatient every time she spoke with him. And Moonwatcher.

The thought of her clawmate made her feel another odd stab in her chest. _I don't care about those dragons,_ she thought furiously. _Why do I keep feeling that ridiculous feeling? I wish it would just go away and leave me alone!_

Carnelian shook her head. Since she had died, she'd started being all sorts of sentimental, and it really had to stop. Part of her wanted to leave Kestrel right now, since asking to join her had been the first overly-emotional decision she'd made, but that would be another unreasonable choice right there. There were still dangers in this world, and separating herself from Kestrel just because she hated the thought of being a slave to her emotions would be much too impulsive. _I can't believe I let myself consider that in the first place,_ she thought, cursing her own stupidity. _What is wrong with me?_

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. _The past decisions you've made don't matter,_ she told herself. _Just don't do anything stupid again._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks again for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you very much for every favorite, follow, and review. They mean so much to me. :)**

 **Just a note: this story is meant to be fiction and isn't meant to reflect my personal beliefs or offend anyone who has different beliefs. Please just enjoy this story as pure fantasy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Several days (or what felt like several days) passed without incident. Carnelian and Kestrel traveled for as long as they could, rested for a while, then resumed their journey. Sometimes they talked as they walked, usually about the things that had changed since Kestrel's death. Occasionally, Carnelian managed to get some information out of her companion. She learned that one of the rival queens, Blister, had killed Kestrel during the War of SandWing Succession because she had seen the SkyWing as a threat to her plans. She's already known Kestrel's backstory, but she discovered just how much Kestrel had changed after the birth of her dragonets; she had been one of Scarlet's most loyal soldiers before the queen threatened her children and she turned on her. Now she hated Scarlet with a passion, which made Carnelian like her more. Anyone who was an enemy of Scarlet was a friend of hers.

Once they passed a place with thicker mist, but when Carnelian asked Kestrel if she wanted to investigate it, the older SkyWing had turned down the suggestion. "It would be too easy to lose each other in there," she'd said. "And getting separated in a place like that would be exceptionally dangerous considering that it would also be harder to detect enemies there."

"All right," Carnelian had agreed, but that hadn't stopped her from being curious about it.

Now they were walking once again through empty gray space. Kestrel was quieter than normal today, but in a more pensive way than her usual sullen silence. Carnelian was getting a little tired of being ignored, but she decided not to interrupt her companion. _She might be thinking about something important,_ the dragonet told herself. _It isn't because I don't want to make her stop liking me. Nothing sentimental like that. I'm being purely practical._

Kestrel paused suddenly, and Carnelian almost bumped into her. "Watch it," the older dragon hissed, but despite her impatient tone, she seemed only mildly irritated. She was too busy looking at something in the distance that Carnelian couldn't see yet.

"What is it?" she asked. "Another dragon?"

"Looks like more than one dragon," Kestrel replied, but by now Carnelian could see them, too. One was short and dark, while the other was tall and pale. As they grew closer, she could tell that the shorter one was a MudWing, while her companion was an IceWing. Before Carnelian could make any other observations about them, Kestrel distracted her by setting off toward the other dragons.

"Hey, wait up!" she called.

Kestrel didn't break stride, forcing Carnelian to hurry to catch up with her. "Why are you so eager to meet up with those dragons?" she asked. "Do you know them?"

"Yes," her companion answered, but didn't elaborate. Trying not to be too annoyed, Carnelian focused on keeping up with her. She'd noticed that Kestrel was bigger than her, but she'd never been more aware of the fact that her friend's legs were a lot longer than hers.

"Kestrel?" the MudWing called, somehow sounding both disbelieving and delighted at the same time. She and her IceWing companion both came running over, allowing the SkyWings to slow down until all four dragons were close enough to have a proper conversation. The MudWing reached out to grab Kestrel's talons, squeezing them in a friendly greeting. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Unfortunate that we're both dead, but same to you," Kestrel said, with the closest thing to a smile that Carnelian had ever seen on her face. She nodded to the IceWing. "You too, Hvitur."

 _Oh, they must be other Talons of Peace,_ Carnelian thought, feeling a slight hint of disdain. She'd never liked the idea of dragons sneaking around behind their own queens' backs, conspiring with dragons from other tribes. Kestrel was all right, because it was Scarlet she had been deceiving, but these other dragons… as far as she was concerned, they were nothing more than cowards who were too afraid to fight in the war.

"Who is that?" Hvitur asked, tilting his head at Carnelian.

"She's a friend," Kestrel said, withdrawing her talons from the MudWing's grasp. "Carnelian, these dragons are Asha and Hvitur. Both of them were supposed to help raise the prophecy dragonets, but they died retrieving some of the eggs. Asha, Hvitur, this is Carnelian. She's a soldier from Queen Ruby's army, and she's met our Dragonets of Destiny."

"Have you?" Asha asked, turning warm brown eyes on Carnelian. "What are they like? Did they succeed in fulfilling the prophecy?" She looked anxious and concerned.

"Yes, they ended the war," Carnelian said, trying to keep any hint of annoyance out of her tone. She had a feeling that showing any disdain for the Dragonets of Destiny wouldn't go over well with this dragon. "They're… well, they're hard to describe."

"Oh, that's so wonderful to hear," Asha said, clasping her front talons together. "You have no idea how worried Hvitur and I were that the prophecy might fail without the SkyWing dragonet. I'm happier than I could possibly say that we were wrong."

"Which of the SandWing sisters became queen?" Hvitur asked.

"It wasn't any of them, actually," Carnelian said. "Some other dragon named Thorn took the throne. She was the leader of a group from the Scorpion Den, so she already had experience ruling."

"What happened to the princesses?" the IceWing demanded, with a strange edge to his tone. "They aren't all still alive, are they?"

"No, only Blaze is," Carnelian said.

Hvitur looked relieved. "Good. Our world is much safer without the other two."

It was weird to see relief on another dragon's face and know she was the one whose words had caused it. During the war, all she had seen was the fear and rage of her enemies all around her, which was satisfying, but also depressing after a while. At Jade Mountain, she'd seen silly giggling faces and disapproving frowns, which were both annoying. This was something totally different, but while it was odd, it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Carnelian can finish telling you this story later," Kestrel said. "Right now, what can the two of you tell us about this place? Carnelian's looking for the reason we're here and how to get out."

"I don't know," Asha admitted. "I haven't met anyone who could explain this place, and there wasn't much I could figure out from what I've seen. It's mostly just the same gray and fog you can see from here."

"Mostly?" Carnelian echoed.

"We saw something different not long ago," Hvitur replied. "It wasn't much, but it was a sort of rocky terrain leading off into the distance. Still gray and lifeless, but it was something other than flat oblivion."

"It felt like there was something in that direction that was calling me," Asha said. "Hvitur said he didn't feel anything of the sort, but I definitely felt some kind of pull. But at the same time the thought of going that way didn't feel right, so in the end we decided against it. If we find the place again, I'd like to follow the path and see where it leads, but for now I suppose it isn't important." She shrugged. "Besides, I feel this odd certainty that I should still be here."

"There's nothing here," Kestrel said bluntly. "You should have gone that way when you had the chance. It's highly unlikely that you'll ever stumble across it again."

"Not even if you went back exactly the way you came?" Carnelian asked.

"I don't think this world works that way," Asha said. "Once I found a shallow ditch in the ground, but when I came back to what I thought was the same spot only a little while later, it was gone. That was before I met up with Hvitur, though, so I can't be entirely sure I didn't imagine it."

 _She's a little strange,_ Carnelian thought, regarding the MudWing skeptically. _Not very practical. And she seems to put an awful lot of importance on her emotions and passing impulses. But if she's Kestrel's friend, she must not be too bad. There's no way any SkyWing would spend more time than necessary with a dragon who wasn't helpful in some way._

"Have you ever met the same dragons twice?" Kestrel asked. "Carnelian and I met a NightWing before and she wants to know if there's any chance we'll see him again."

"I don't care that much," Carnelian put in quickly. "I was just curious."

"I haven't," said Hvitur, glancing at Asha. "Have you?"

"No, unfortunately not," the MudWing answered. "I think we would learn a lot from sharing our experiences in this place. Besides, it's sad to think that once we part, we won't ever meet again."

"That's why we stuck together," Hvitur explained. "We weren't sure that our paths would cross again, and neither of us really wanted to roam this place alone. We haven't run into any real threats yet, but that doesn't mean we won't. We've been here for… well, I'm not sure exactly how long, but it must have been a while, and we discovered the rocks only recently."

"What Hvitur is trying to say is that we both know we haven't figured out everything about this world yet," Asha concluded. "For all we know, there might be a way to find others again. But we haven't discovered anything like that so far."

"Do you know if everyone comes here after they die?" Carnelian asked, genuinely curious to know the answer. "Kestrel's already told me they don't all stay here, but is this some sort of checkpoint that everyone passes through, or is it a special place where only some dragons end up?"

"I'd love to know the answer to that question myself," Asha said. "I'm sorry that neither of us can tell you that." She wrinkled her snout. "If only this place wasn't so big. If it were smaller, we'd be able to see everyone at the same time and figure out who comes and who goes."

"Well, we can't," Kestrel said briskly. "So we'll just have to make the best of our situation."

"Anyway, what do you guys want to do now?" the MudWing asked. "I think we ought to stick together, but I'll leave it up to you."

"I think that would be wise," Hvitur agreed.

"Of course we're sticking together," Kestrel said, in a matter-of-fact tone that invited no questions. "Let's face it, in a place like this we can use all the allies we can get. I can understand sending away a stranger, but only a fool would turn away his friends."

 _Of course they're her friends,_ Carnelian thought grumpily. _Of course there are other dragons here that she likes better than me. Because there's no one who could possibly like me best of all._

 _Still, even a dragon who only half-likes me is better than no companions at all_ , she reminded herself. _You're dead, Carnelian. What did you expect? Some kind of perfect world where everyone would love you? Now you're getting to be as bad as the Jade Mountain bunch. Your life was fine as it was, when all you needed was Queen Ruby's respect and appreciation to feel happy. Your queen will be pleased that you gave your life to serve her. Even if it wasn't in battle like it should have been, you were there in Jade Mountain on her orders when you died. You should be perfectly satisfied with that. Kestrel's friendship, if you could even call it that, is a bonus._

"Carnelian!" Kestrel barked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you going to stand there until you rot, or are you coming with us?"

Carnelian blinked, realizing that the other dragons had started to move again. She hurried to catch up with them, cursing herself for getting so distracted. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Don't trouble yourself with apologies," the older SkyWing said, with a hint of impatience in her fiery eyes. "Just keep up. It would be a waste to leave you behind."

 _Does she really mean that? Would she really feel like she was losing something if she went on without me?_ Carnelian caught herself with an internal growl. _It doesn't matter. Focus._

"Are you all right?" Asha asked, her brown eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine," Carnelian said shortly. It was bad enough that she was feeling sorry for herself. She didn't need some dragon from another tribe feeling sorry for her, too.

The MudWing didn't even blink at her sharp tone; Carnelian supposed that if she worked with SkyWings and IceWings in the Talons of Peace, she must be used to it by now. "Well, if you say so. But if anything ever bothers you, don't be afraid to talk to me about it."

"All right," Carnelian said, more to get Asha to stop talking than anything else. She had a feeling that the older dragon wouldn't take no for an answer, but she didn't have the energy to bother getting riled up about it. "But seriously, you don't need to worry about me. I may be a dragonet, but I'm a soldier, too. I can take care of myself."

"That's right, SkyWings are loners," Asha mused. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I forget sometimes that not all dragons are used to working as a team and relying on others."

"It's okay," Carnelian said, feeling her annoyance ebb slightly.

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "After all those years you spent working with me, I can't believe you still make that mistake." Carnelian expected Asha to be offended, but the MudWing only smiled and shrugged. _What a peculiar dragon._

They didn't encounter anything else of importance in the rest of the time they spent traveling, but that was fine with Carnelian. _We're still way ahead of where we were this morning. Now we know that this place isn't just grayness and fog, even if no one's found anything useful here. And now we have two other dragons, who can probably be helpful even if they aren't SkyWings._

They settled down in a circle to rest when they were all tired of walking. Carnelian found herself between Kestrel and Hvitur, who thankfully gave her some space. Asha, on the other talon, leaned against Hvitur to sleep, her head resting on his shoulder. _Another one of her MudWing habits,_ Carnelian thought, but didn't feel as much scorn at the idea as she would have expected. She was surprised the IceWing was putting up with it, though. The corner of her mouth twitched as he shifted uncomfortably, but didn't push Asha off.

 _If that were Kestrel, however…_

For the first time since they came to this barren world, or maybe for the first time ever, Carnelian silently laughed herself to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and didn't get too confused. If anything requires a better explanation, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again!**

 **-Blaze**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed my story. You guys are the best!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

* * *

Chapter Four

The next "morning", the dragons set off again. Carnelian took the lead while Asha trudged sleepily a few paces back. Kestrel and Hvitur took the rear, conversing quietly as they walked. Carnelian wondered what they were talking about, but decided not to ask, as much because she was too proud to act like she was bored (even though she was) as because she didn't want to pry.

The voices of the SkyWing and the IceWing drifted up from behind her, too quiet for her to make out what they were saying, but loud enough that she could hear their tones. Kestrel sounded somewhat skeptical, her voice harsh and low, while Hvitur sounded more reflective, his voice deep, but with a sort of ringing quality, like sounds echoing off a mountain.

Carnelian was momentarily interested by the difference in their voices. _Is it a difference in mood, a difference from dragon to dragon, or a difference in tribe?_ she wondered. _It might be tribe. Kestrel's voice does sound sort of smoky, while Hvitur's is clearer, like cold water or ice._ It was a sort of silly thought, but it was interesting nonetheless. Or in any case, the lack of anything else interesting in this place made it interesting in a last-resort sort of way.

Asha gave a sudden hiss of pain. Carnelian glanced at her, alarmed, while Kestrel and Hvitur's voices broke off behind them. "It's nothing," the MudWing assured them hurriedly. "I just stubbed my claws. This ground seems harder than it usually does."

"Maybe," Carnelian said doubtfully.

"She might be right," Hvitur said, coming up behind them. It seemed that he and Kestrel had finally decided the other two were worth talking to. "I don't know about you, but earlier I didn't really notice the ground beneath my talons. I knew it was there, obviously, and I felt something holding me up, but I didn't feel any texture. It was so nondescript that it was like there was nothing there. Now I can actually tell that it's hard."

"You used far more words than I would have," Kestrel said, "but same here."

The IceWing wrinkled his snout, like he wasn't sure whether to feel offended or amused.

"Go with offended," Carnelian advised. "It'll be more interesting for the rest of us."

Hvitur gave her a surprised look, while Kestrel barked a laugh. Asha suddenly smiled, as though she was surprised, but pleased, by Carnelian's revelation that she did have a sense of humor after all. The young SkyWing wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.

They were just getting back into their own silent thoughts when Carnelian felt an odd sensation beneath her talons. She hadn't felt it in so long that it took her a few moments to place it. When she did, she stopped and lifted one hand. "Hey," she said. "The ground's wet here."

The other three came over to join her. Sure enough, when they looked at the ground, there was a darker patch of wetness there. Carnelian glanced from the damp gray… whatever it was, to her red talons, which had collected enough of the liquid to form several droplets at the tips of her claws. Without thinking, she licked the moisture off of them. "It's water," she decided a moment later.

Hvitur's brow furrowed. "You shouldn't have done that," he said.

Carnelian glared at him. "Why not?" she asked defensively.

"We don't need water here," he reminded her. "That makes me think this might be a trap of some sort. Drinking it might weaken you so you can't fight another threat that comes along. Or it might make you feel unbearable pain. Or drive you crazy."

Carnelian's anger melted away, replaced with terror. Her insides felt cold and clammy now, but she wasn't sure whether it was an effect of the water or just her fear. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?" she demanded, but internally she was cursing herself, not the IceWing. _If only I'd stopped and thought for a moment before acting. Now I have to add impulsive to my list of horrible qualities._

"I would have if I'd known you were going to drink it," Hvitur said.

"Relax," Kestrel said, rolling her eyes at him. "We can all wait here for a few moments to make sure Carnelian doesn't collapse or spontaneously burst into flames." From her tone, it was clear she didn't believe any of that was going to happen. That made Carnelian feel a tiny bit better.

 _But Kestrel didn't make the connection that if Asha and I can feel pain, maybe other bad things can happen to us here,_ the SkyWing thought. _Hvitur did._ She tilted her head at him. _Huh, I suppose IceWings are pretty observant. That means he's the one I should take more seriously._

That really didn't help her nerves, though.

"I'm sure you'll be all right," Asha said kindly, but Carnelian wasn't sure the MudWing really believed what she was saying. "Come on, we should continue walking. If anything's going to happen, it'll happen regardless of whether we wait here or not. Besides," she added to Carnelian, "if you don't have anything to do, you'll just dwell on it and feel horrible."

Carnelian was taken aback by the MudWing's comment. _How did she know I was feeling that way? Maybe it's how she would feel if she was in my situation, but MudWings and SkyWings are totally different. Normally our responses to things aren't anything alike. Unless she's observant, too, and could see it on my face._

"We should stay close to her," Hvitur said, eying Carnelian narrowly as though he were looking for signs that she was ill. She felt like clawing the worried frown off his face, but she controlled the urge. "That way if she starts to collapse, we can catch her and hold her upright. Or–"

"Sh!" Asha said, flapping her wings at him. The IceWing stopped talking abruptly and ducked away. "Like I said, stop making her feel worse. Let's just get going. Obviously we won't leave her behind if anything happens to her."

 _Obviously?_ Carnelian wrinkled her snout. _Is it obvious? Wouldn't most dragons do the smart thing and leave me behind so I wouldn't slow them down? I guess MudWing's really are dumb._

"Are we following the wet trail?" Kestrel asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Or are we staying away from it in case it's poisonous?"

Asha frowned at the trail in question. "I say we follow it, but walk alongside the wet parts instead of through them, just to be safe." She smiled at Hvitur. "See, your cautiousness is rubbing off on me now."

To Carnelian's surprise, the IceWing smiled back. "I see." Then his expression grew serious again. "Needless to say, I agree with Asha. That would be the safest thing to do."

Carnelian barely heard his opinion on the matter. She was more focused on the first part of his reaction. _What? A non-snooty IceWing with an actual sense of humor? I didn't know those existed._ The only IceWings Carnelian had ever had a conversation with were Winter and Icicle, at Jade Mountain Academy. Both were stuck up and aggressive. Aggressive was fine, respectable even, but the way they looked down their long, narrow snouts at everyone made her want to claw said snouts off their faces. She didn't think she'd ever seen them smile at all, much less at a dragon from another tribe.

 _Well, I suppose if Hvitur was stuck up, he wouldn't let Asha treat him like he was one of her MudWing sibling troop,_ Carnelian reasoned.

Smoke was starting to curl out of Kestrel's nostrils. Carnelian cleared her throat hastily to get the other dragons' attention. "Um. We should go now."

They set off again, this time with Hvitur and Asha in the lead and Kestrel and Carnelian walking together behind them. As they had proposed, they walked beside the trail of wet ground, which grew steadily wider as the "hours" progressed. Once Carnelian happened to glance up and saw mist swirling overhead, thicker than it was at the horizons.

"Has the sky always looked like that here?" she asked.

Kestrel glanced up and her brows furrowed in surprise. "I haven't spent a lot of time studying it, but I don't remember it looking like that before."

They were close enough behind Asha and Hvitur that the other two caught her words and looked up at the sky as well. "I think it was just black before," the IceWing said. "Sort of like looking into a deep chasm, where everything vanishes into shadow past a certain point."

"I can't remember," Asha admitted.

"Do you have any idea why it might have changed?" Carnelian asked.

"You ask every question I could possibly think of and then some," Kestrel said drily.

"Not sure," Hvitur said, ignoring the older SkyWing's attitude. "I don't even know if this world has reasons for the things it does, or if every change is random."

"That makes it hard to figure out how it works," Carnelian said, clicking her teeth in annoyance.

"Just look at this place," the IceWing said, spreading his silvery wings to gesture at the space all around them. "It's designed for mystery. The two things here are emptiness and mist. Fog often hides things, and distance conceals anything that might otherwise be out in the open. From what I've seen, I don't think this world wants us to figure it out."

"And now we're personifying it," she grumbled.

"I think he's right," Asha said seriously. "From the moment I first got here, this world has seemed more like a being than a place. Sometimes it sounds like the mist is speaking, but it's like sleep-talking; it sounds like language, but doesn't form coherent words. And sometimes it feels as though we're being watched, even though there are no other dragons anywhere in sight."

Carnelian shivered. She was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out if what they were saying was true for her as well. She hadn't noticed anything before, but now the pulsing of the mist at the horizons and the swirling of the fog above them seemed to move in a rhythm, like the world itself was breathing. All of the sudden, the place did seem alive.

"Do you feel it?" Asha asked.

Carnelian could only nod.

Kestrel twitched her tail impatiently. "I think you all have gone insane. Can you quit slowing down and keep walking? We're wasting time here."

Carnelian glanced at her. _Do you really not feel that?_ she wanted to ask, but once again, something kept her from speaking the words that she knew would annoy the older SkyWing.

Hvitur and Asha exchanged a glance, then seemed to simultaneously decide it wasn't worth arguing with Kestrel. The four dragons picked up the pace again, continuing along the wet trail that grew steadily wider and deeper. As they progressed, the water grew into a shallow stream.

Hvitur made a sound of surprise. "This is certainly interesting," he said. "I think it's the first real landmark I've seen here."

Asha made a sound of agreement.

Carnelian knew that neither she nor Kestrel had seen anything of the sort before either, so she nodded to let the others know.

"By the way," Hvitur said after a few more moments of silence, "it's been a while since you drank that water, Carnelian. I think it would have done something by now if it was going to affect you."

"Oh, right," she said, blinking. "Good." In all honesty, she'd actually forgotten about the water crisis already. _Shows just how good my survival skills are,_ she thought with a snort.

"See?" Kestrel said. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"You didn't actually say that," Hvitur pointed out. "You just sarcastically dismissed our concerns. Knowing you, I'd bet that you actually were a tiny bit worried, so you didn't want to outright say nothing was going to happen, just in case something did. You didn't want to be wrong."

Asha laughed as Kestrel glared at the IceWing. "Shut up," the red dragon growled.

 _Does that mean he's right?_ Carnelian wondered. _I didn't notice any concern in Kestrel at all. She seemed totally sure that nothing bad was going to happen to me. Was she really worried, even the slightest bit? Was she just really good at hiding it?_

The SkyWing dragonet mulled it over as they walked. Her talons were starting to get sore, but she didn't want to say anything to the others, who still seemed full of energy. _They must be used to walking nonstop for a long time,_ she thought. _After all, they've all been here for a long time. Kestrel died at least six months ago, and the other two died before the brightest night, which was seven years ago. That's a long time to roam through such an empty place._

"What's that?" Asha gasped, a while later. She hurried forward, forcing the others to nearly jog to keep up with her. With their superior IceWing and SkyWing vision, it didn't take the others long to identify what the MudWing couldn't quite make out.

"I think it's a lake," Carnelian said.

It was indeed a lake. Not a large one, but still a lake. It was nearly a perfect circle, about as wide as the wingspan of two SkyWings, and looked just deep enough for Asha and Carnelian, who were the shortest, to submerge their shoulders without crouching down. Not that they tried it; Carnelian wasn't a huge fan of water, and Hvitur stopped Asha from climbing into it.

"The water didn't bother Carnelian, but she only drank a few drops," he said. "Swimming in it or drinking larger amounts might still be dangerous."

Asha looked unconvinced, but eventually she nodded.

"Why isn't anyone stopping to appreciate this discovery?" Carnelian asked. "It's _a lake._ Probably the most significant thing any of us have ever found here. That's a big deal to me, and I've only been here a few days at most. You guys have been here for ages. Shouldn't you be leaping up and down for joy, or at the very least smiling?"

"You're right," Asha said, laughing. "This is quite the amazing discovery."

"It's odd how we've found so many things after we met up with you two, when we hadn't found anything at all for so long," Hvitur said. "I wonder if it's a coincidence."

Kestrel glanced at Carnelian, seeming drily amused. "Well, it isn't me. I hardly found anything either until I met up with Carnelian. If I believed in such things, I'd say you're something of a lucky charm, dragonet."

"Lucky? Please, I'm as dead as you are," Carnelian said, but she couldn't suppress a slight twinge of pleasure at the idea of being special.

"I think we should stay here for at least a little while," Asha said. "It feels like an important place."

"I don't know about important," said Kestrel, "but it's definitely a significant landmark. We should try using it as a base for a while. If there are any other dragons who go around following their intuitions like Asha, they might be able to get here and meet up with us. Didn't you say you could feel something when you were near places that were different?"

"Yes, but it was mostly when I was actually in the place that I felt it," the MudWing said. "It wasn't like a compass I could follow. Everyone's intuitions are different, though. Someone else might be able to find their way here more easily than we did."

"The point is, we're more likely to encounter other dragons waiting here than wondering aimlessly through the mist," Hvitur said. "I agree, we should stay."

"Sure, whatever you guys want," said Carnelian.

When they were finished discussing their newfound camp, all four dragons curled up by the water's edge to rest. Carnelian was tired, but it took her a while to fall asleep. When she finally managed it, instead of the peaceful darkness she was used to by now, she was met with a dream.

 _Everything was a little blurry, but it was colorful, which made it ten times better than her waking world. She saw dark green and shadows everywhere. Scratch that; there were three shapes among the green, one dark and two pale. At first she thought they were all sleeping, but then a fourth dragon approached and the dark one raised her head._

 _"_ _Scarlet's gone," she said._

 _Carnelian flexed her claws, wondering why no one was panicking or getting angry over the fact that Scarlet was there in the first place. If such a horrible dragon was around, shouldn't they be fighting or at the very least preparing for war? They should not be lying around. Unless they were hiding, which they might be. But how did the dark dragon know she was gone, when she wasn't the one who had come in from outside?_

 _"_ _Was it terrible?" the new dragon demanded. Wait. That voice sounded extremely familiar. Carnelian squinted through the darkness, trying to identify it. All she could see was glittering white and blue. "Is Icicle all right? What did Scarlet say about Hailstorm?"_

Oh! _she realized._ It's that Winter dragon from the Academy. Why is he talking about Scarlet and why is everything so dark behind them?

 _The dark dragon paused, and Carnelian saw a glint of silver beside her eye._ That must be Moon. Why is she with Winter? He hates her, doesn't he?

 _"_ _Scarlet says your brother is still alive," Moonwatcher said at last, fiddling with her talons. "Icicle asked for proof, but Scarlet only laughed at her. I wish I could read Scarlet's mind, but she's too far away and it's not really her in Icicle's dream, only a projection of her. So I can't tell what she's thinking or whether it's true about Hailstorm. I'm sorry." She paused again. "Icicle offered her a deal," she added, as though it were something significant._

 _"_ _You don't have to–" Winter began, sounding a bit flustered, but the NightWing interrupted him before he could get any farther than that._

 _"_ _I'm not," she said. "Worried, I mean. I know you won't kill Queen Glory."_

What?

Carnelian woke with a start.

 _Oh, it was a dream,_ she realized. _That makes everything make a lot more sense. Winter and Moon are still at Jade Mountain, I'm sure. There's nothing that would make them run away. And there's no way they would be talking about Queen Glory of the RainWings. She doesn't have anything to do with the IceWings at all._

That was certainly a strange dream, though. Carnelian's mind had invented an entire dragon: Hailstorm. Someone important to Winter and Icicle. _Probably another boring, stuffy IceWing,_ she thought dismissively. _Urgh, I wish I did really meet Scarlet, though. I could have taught her a lesson she would never forget._

Carnelian rolled over onto her other side and went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you, as always, for every review, follow, and favorite. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Carnelian woke up in a bad mood. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she supposed there didn't have to be a reason. She could be grumpy just for the sake of being grumpy.

She lifted her head and blinked the bleariness out of her eyes. _Ugh, I hate that slimy feeling._ She rubbed at her eyes with one palm, breathing out a thin stream of smoke to clear her nose. When she finally got the icky feeling out of her head, she looked around the circle they had made beside the lake. Hvitur and Asha were still where they had been when they settled down to rest, but Kestrel was gone.

Carnelian nearly jumped to her feet. _Where is she? She didn't decide that she was bored with the rest of us and leave, did she? No… she acted as though Asha and Hvitur were her friends. Even if she doesn't like me, she wouldn't get tired of them._

The dragonet turned in a circle that was a bit too close to panicked. _Calm down, I'm sure she's fine._ She scanned the area around them, hoping that Kestrel just decided to take a walk around the edge of the lake or something. But no, she wasn't there.

 _Where did she go?_

Carnelian heard footsteps behind her. _Maybe someone attacked Kestrel,_ she thought, her mind jumping to the countless battle-practices she had gone through in Queen Ruby's army. _Maybe that dragon is coming back now for the rest of us._ She whirled around, her heart speeding up with adrenaline and her lips curling back in a snarl.

Kestrel raised one eyebrow. "Well, that's the strangest greeting I've had in a while."

Carnelian blinked in surprise. "Oh, it's you," she muttered a bit sheepishly.

The older SkyWing snorted. "Who were you expecting?"

"No one," Carnelian said, decidedly embarrassed. "Where did you go? Why'd you leave without telling anyone else what you were doing?"

Kestrel scratched absentmindedly at her neck with one claw. "I was looking around to see if any other dragons were approaching. I didn't go out of sight of the lake, though, to make sure that I could find my way back. It was pointless. There was no one around."

Carnelian thought she sounded frustrated, but the emotion didn't seem to fit with the situation. Perhaps she was imagining it. "Still, you should have left a note or something," she said.

"On what?" Kestrel asked. "There's no paper here."

"I'm sure you could have scratched it into the ground with your talons," Carnelian replied, starting to smile in spite of herself. "Or… or dipped your talons in the water and wrote it with the moisture. There are plenty of things to work with if you think about it."

Kestrel scoffed. "If I clawed it into the ground, it would look like someone had been fighting there. My penmanship isn't the greatest. And the water would probably evaporate before you lazy snails even woke up."

"Okay, maybe," Carnelian relented. "But I'm not lazy. I just didn't sleep too well. I had a dream, and that always makes me feel groggy when I wake up."

"Huh, I haven't dreamed much since I got here," Kestrel said.

"Not much or not at all?"

"Not much," the older dragon repeated. "I've had one or two."

"Oh, so it's not _that_ weird that I had one," Carnelian said. "I was worried I was going crazy from looking at blank space for so long."

Kestrel seemed amused, but before she could speak, Asha broke the silence with a loud yawn. "Good morning," the MudWing said, blinking sleepily.

"It's not even morning," Kestrel said.

"It could be," Asha said with a smile. "We don't know what time it is in the world of the living." She yawned again, showing all her teeth. Then she leaned over and prodded Hvitur in the ribs, making him jump. "Rise and shine!" she said cheerfully.

"What if I don't want to shine?" the IceWing mumbled, covering his face with his wings.

"You can't do anything about it," Carnelian said. "Your scales are much too iridescent."

Asha laughed, once again seeming surprised but delighted that Carnelian had a sense of humor. "Come on," she said, returning her attention to the IceWing and adopting a persuasive tone. "You like the water, don't you? You can go for a swim."

Hvitur moved his wings out of his face and sat up. "We still don't know if the water's safe," he said. "So that's not working on me. But I'd better get up before any of you start throwing yourselves into dangerous situations. I can't trust you not to get yourselves severely injured while I'm sleeping."

"I hope you're not making fun of me," said Carnelian. She was still feeling a little touchy over the water incident the day before.

"I wasn't," the IceWing said. "I was just saying, sometimes you three aren't cautious enough."

"Yes, we'd all be dead without you," Kestrel said, rolling her eyes. "Remind me, who was the first of us to die?"

"Ouch," Asha said, as Hvitur winced. "Come on, Kestrel, don't be like that."

"I'll do whatever I want," Kestrel said shortly. "And you can't stop me." With that, she turned and strode away, going to stand farther down the shore.

Carnelian hesitated. "I… I think she isn't in the greatest mood today," she finally said. "Something is really bothering her. So maybe we should try extra hard not to upset her."

Hvitur watched the older SkyWing, who was rubbing her scarred palms together. "You're right," he sighed, shaking his head. The icicle-spikes on the back of his neck clattered together.

Asha glanced at Carnelian. "How did you know that?"

"I just did," Carnelian said, surprised.

The MudWing tilted her head, looking intrigued, but didn't say anything else. Carnelian tried to squash a flare of annoyance and didn't entirely succeed. _Why is she staring at me?_ she thought grumpily, stalking off along the shore in the opposite direction. _Does she think it's weird that I actually noticed something about Kestrel that she didn't? I may not be academically smart or clever in any way, but that doesn't make me a completely unobservant fool. Sheesh._

What really didn't help was that the harder texture of the ground in these parts was starting to make her talons sore, and the pain was making her even more irritable than she normally was. _Oh, for the moons' sake, I'm sick of this._ "I don't care if this water is safe or not, I'm rinsing my talons," she shouted down the bank at Hvitur, then leaned down to dip her front talons into the lake.

The water washed over her palms and her claws. The cold was biting at first, but when the shock wore off, it felt nice. When her front claws were completely soothed, she withdrew them and turned around to dip her back feet in. _I don't have to listen to what that paranoid IceWing says_ , she thought with satisfaction. A moment later, she felt a bit bad for thinking of Hvitur that way, but she shook off the twinge of guilt. _Just because we're sticking together doesn't mean I have to like everything about him and completely ignore his faults. The same goes for Asha. And that's completely fair because I don't ignore my own faults either, and I doubt they think the sun shines out of me._

Carnelian took her talons out of the water and amused herself for a moment or two by making wet footprints on the ground. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, making her pause. "Hey, I have an idea," she called to the others.

"What is it?" Hvitur called back. Asha elbowed him in the ribs, making him flinch again. Then the two made their way over to where Carnelian was.

"Come on, that's basic decency," the MudWing was saying as they approached. "If you want to talk to someone, you go over to her. You don't holler across the lake at her."

"I don't notice you chiding her for doing the exact same thing," Hvitur muttered under his breath.

"That's because I'm cooler," Carnelian said, overhearing him.

"Technically, Hvitur is cooler," Asha said, trying to keep a straight face. "Because he's an IceWing. Get it?" The MudWing lost her composure and burst out laughing.

"That's a terribly overused joke," Carnelian said, but found that she was fighting a smile herself. _Three moons, what's wrong with me?_ "Anyway," she said, "I thought of a good way to look for other dragons." She lifted her talons, showing the prints she'd made with the water. "I could get all my feet wet and use my talon prints to make a trail. That way I could go farther than what we can see on the horizon and still be able to find my way back. All I'd have to do is turn around and follow the path I made on the way there."

Hvitur looked a little doubtful. "What if it dried up before you headed back?"

"I won't go _that_ far," Carnelian said, rolling her eyes. "Obviously I don't want to get lost. I just don't want to be stuck here for all eternity because we're all afraid to make a move."

"I think it's worth a try," Asha said. "But at least the first time, you shouldn't go more than a few paces out of sight of the lake. That way we can make sure this method works before you go too far."

Carnelian thought that was a little pointless. What was the point of going anywhere at all if it wasn't that far? But the MudWing looked troubled by the thought of her getting lost and against all reason, Carnelian found herself relenting. "All right," she agreed reluctantly.

Asha smiled. "Thank you."

Hvitur still didn't look happy about it, but Carnelian didn't care. As long as she had one dragon on her side, she was going to take action. "Okay," she said firmly. "I'm going now. Hopefully I'll be back soon." She wet her feet again and set off in a random direction. She walked quickly, remembering what Hvitur had said about the water drying up. She supposed the trail was only important until she was within sight of the lake again, but she didn't want to take any chances that she didn't have to.

Carnelian eventually reached a thin curtain of mist, which she assumed was the edge of where she could see from the lake. She walked for about ten more paces, then turned around and followed the talon print trail back through the mist. Squinting, she could just make out the edge of the lake and Hvitur and Asha's figures. Kestrel was on the other side of the lake, so she couldn't see her, but Carnelian knew she was there. A wave of relief coursed through her. _So this will work after all._

Suddenly she was aware of a noise coming from nearby. She scanned the area around her, her gaze landing on a patch of what looked like dark mist. She blinked, sure her eyes were deceiving her, but no, she was seeing it correctly. A swirling mass of shadows, shifting like the fog but as black as a moonless night.

Carnelian was about to approach it to investigate more closely when the noise rang out again. It sounded like some sort of growl or hiss or maybe even a shriek. Then she saw a flash of movement and realized that there was something _inside_ the darkness. A rush of terror flooded through her. She would stand her ground and fight any dragon in the living world, but this world was nothing like the one she had come from. The thing inside the shadows could be anything, literally anything, and Carnelian wasn't about to take her chances against some strange monster. She turned and fled, following her faint trail of talon prints back through the mist and dashing toward the lake.

"What's wrong?" Hvitur asked as she skidded to a stop beside him, breathless.

"There was this shadowy thing," she gasped. "And there was something inside it."

"It's okay," Asha said, putting her wing around Carnelian in a soothing gesture. "Slow down. We can't tell what you're saying."

"What's going on?" Kestrel demanded, coming around the edge of the lake to join them. "Carnelian, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"

Carnelian took a few more deep breaths, then tried again. "I saw a bunch of shadows swirling together like mist. Then there was this terrible noise and I realized that there was something inside it, sort of flailing around, and it was so freaky."

Asha's eyes widened. "Was it a _dragon_?"

"I don't know," Carnelian admitted.

"What if it was someone trapped in there?" the MudWing cried. "We've got to go help." And with that she darted off, following Carnelian's trail of talon prints off toward the mist-strewn horizon.

"Oh, three moons," Kestrel sighed. She glanced at Hvitur in a weary way, as though they were both used to this sort of thing. "Should we follow her?"

"I think we have to," said Hvitur. "You two should go ahead. I'll remark the trail, since it looks sort of faint and probably won't take long to evaporate." He started to dip his feet into the water.

"Come on," Kestrel said, nudging Carnelian with her shoulder. "Before we lose Asha."

The two SkyWings hurried after their companion. By the time they caught up, Asha was circling the mass of shadows and calling into it. "Hello? Is anyone in there? Are you all right?"

There was a muffled reply, but even though they couldn't make out the words, it was clearly another dragon and it was clearly frightened. Carnelian felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn't tried to save the dragon herself, but she pushed away the feeling. _How was I supposed to know that was dragon and not some monster?_

"Hold on!" Asha called. "Don't worry, I'll get you out." She braced herself, then reached into the shadows, her head and shoulders concealed by the darkness. Her muscles strained visibly as she slowly hauled the other dragon out. _Wow, she's actually really strong,_ Carnelian realized, trying not to feel impressed. She failed.

With one last tug, the MudWing succeeded in pulling the trapped dragon out of the darkness. They both stumbled backward with the effort, falling to the ground in a heap.

Kestrel strode forward and pulled the new dragon to her feet. The stranger was a deep blue SeaWing, with startlingly pale eyes of the same color. She looked exhausted, but at the same time there was something dignified about her bearing that spoke of years living in a palace.

Asha got to her feet and came over to steady the SeaWing, who was wobbling slightly now that Kestrel had released her. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I think so," the SeaWing said. Her voice had an odd accent, one that seemed almost exotic to Carnelian. She couldn't remember any of the SeaWings at Jade Mountain having that kind of accent.

"It's a good thing we decided to team up, dragonet," Kestrel said in a low voice, interrupting Carnelian's thoughts. "If any of us were completely alone, we might never have been able to get out of something like that."

"You're right," Carnelian replied. It was a horrible thought, but it was true. "It's good for that SeaWing that we came along."

Hvitur appeared through the mist, breathing his frost breath on the ground as he went. Kestrel raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "The ice works better than the water," he said. "It doesn't melt as fast as the water evaporates and I don't run out of it."

Carnelian was relieved. Her talon prints had all but faded by now and she wasn't sure they would have been able to follow them back. Hvitur's ice trail was much more reliable.

Meanwhile, Asha was making conversation with the SeaWing. "What's your name?" she asked her, giving her the same friendly smile she sometimes gave Carnelian.

"Naiad," the SeaWing said. "And yours?"

"Asha," said the MudWing.

Kestrel interrupted her before she could say anything else. "Naiad? I've heard that name before. Did you happen to know a dragon named Webs, by any chance?"

The SeaWing gasped. "Yes! He was my husband." She looked around from Asha's wide, brown face to Hvitur's narrower, pale one to Kestrel and Carnelian's sharp red ones. "Are you all from the Talons of Peace? Is that how you knew him?"

"Yes," said Kestrel. "Well, minus Carnelian," she added, flicking her tail at the smaller SkyWing. "I'm Kestrel, this is Asha, and that's Hvitur. We were all charged with raising the Dragonets of Destiny, along with Webs and a SandWing named Dune."

"Do you know how he is?" Naiad asked, with a tinge of anxiety in her voice. "I died in battle not long after he disappeared from the Kingdom of the Sea. Is the war over yet? I don't know how long I've been here."

Kestrel glanced at Carnelian as though to say, _This is your job._ Carnelian reluctantly stepped forward. "The war ended nearly six months ago," she said. "Webs survived the war and now teaches at this school that the Dragonets of Destiny started. Something bad happened at the school, but Webs wasn't there when it happened, so he's safe."

Relief flickered across Naiad's face and Carnelian once again found herself reflecting on how strange it was that she'd been the one who put it there. "And what about my son?" she asked. "Riptide. Have you met him?"

"No, but I've heard that he's safe," Carnelian said. "If whoever told me this was right, he's the leader of the Talons of Peace now."

"Not Nautilus?" asked Kestrel. "Did he die?"

"I don't think so," said Carnelian. "I think he retired."

Naiad smiled, which only made her look more regal. "Thank you so much," she said. "I'm so glad to hear these things." She turned to Asha and dipped her head in an elegant nod. "And thank you for saving me from the darkness as well."

"No problem," said Asha. "I would have done the same for anyone."

"How did you get in that situation in the first place?" Carnelian asked the SeaWing, genuinely curious.

Naiad's expression darkened. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "I was just thinking about my family when all the sudden I was caught up in it. I suppose I was too distracted to notice it coming."

"Can it move?" Hvitur asked, always the practical one. "If so, we should really get out of here. We don't want anyone to get sucked into it again."

"True," Kestrel said.

"Do you think you can walk on your own?" Asha asked Naiad.

"I'll be fine," the SeaWing said, but when Asha released her she wobbled again. Her face paled until the scales almost matched her eyes. Carnelian jumped forward to grab her arm again, accidentally pushing Kestrel as she went.

"Hey," the older SkyWing barked. "Watch where you're going!"

"We're all standing much too close together," Hvitur said. "Come on, let's head back to the lake and spread out a bit." He ducked through the curtain of fog, following his ice trail.

Carnelian let go of Naiad, feeling a bit embarrassed at how quickly she had leapt to the SeaWing's aid. _I'm supposed to be the one who_ doesn't _want to help dragons from other tribes. This place really isn't any better for me than Jade Mountain Academy was._

"You can lean on my shoulder if you need to," Asha said. She glanced past the SeaWing to meet Carnelian's eyes. "Thanks for helping," she added with a warm smile.

 _Yuck,_ Carnelian thought, hurrying through the mist after Hvitur.

The journey to the lake would have been much faster if they flew, but for some reason the idea of flying here made Carnelian feel uneasy. The sky seemed almost heavy, weighing down both her wings and her will to fly. So they trudged along the hard, flat ground, Carnelian probably stubbing every claw she owned along the way. When they reached the lakeshore again, she made a beeline for the water, dipping her talons in and soaking the raw feeling out of them.

It took Asha and Naiad longer to reach the lake, but when they were all there, they settled down in a circle to talk. Carnelian still sat facing the water, but she half-listened to their conversation, glancing over her shoulder at the others every once in a while.

"You should stay with us, at least until you're feeling better," Asha said encouragingly. Even though the MudWing wasn't her favorite dragon, it still made Carnelian a bit jealous that she was using the same friendly voice on this SeaWing that she'd used on her throughout the last few days. She'd thought that Asha liked her personally, but now she was beginning to realize that the MudWing liked everyone indiscriminately. _I've been nothing but unfriendly to her and there's nothing special about me,_ she reminded herself harshly. _Why would she like me for being me?_

"I will, if it's no trouble to you," Naiad replied.

"It's no trouble," Hvitur assured her. "There's safety in numbers, anyway. The more dragons we have in our group, the better."

 _Even in the afterworld, he still can't stop being a strategist,_ Carnelian thought. _I wonder if that was his role in the IceWing tribe, or just in the Talons of Peace._ Now that she thought about it, she was starting to realize just how little she knew about her companions, especially in comparison to how much they knew about each other. _Too bad. Not my fault. I don't care, anyway._

"Speaking of Talons of Peace, does anyone know what happened to Dune?" Asha asked.

"Dead," said Kestrel bluntly.

There was a moment of silence. "Oh," the MudWing said finally. "I wonder if he's here."

"Do you know if everyone ends up here after they die?" Hvitur asked, probably talking to Naiad. The others had all discussed that topic to death already.

"I'm sorry, I don't," said Naiad. Her voice was the easiest to recognize without looking back at the group, as much because of her accent as because it wasn't as familiar to Carnelian as the others. _Wow, have I been with this group for that long?_ It had only been a few "days" since they'd met up with Hvitur and Asha, but she supposed you got to know other dragons' voices pretty quickly when you spent every waking moment with them and they were the only dragons you ever saw.

There was a sudden silence among the group. The tension in the air told Carnelian that it wasn't merely a lull in the conversation; something was happening. "Who's there?" Hvitur muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. Carnelian turned and followed his gaze, but she couldn't see anything past their little group. More mist had rolled in since they'd returned, now obscuring most of the area instead of just the horizon.

"How do you know there's anyone there at all?" she asked.

"I thought I saw movement," the IceWing said, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Everyone was still.

Then silhouettes appeared among the mist, drawing steadily closer. There were four of them in total; three were massive, while the fourth was much smaller, about half the size of the largest one. Carnelian tensed. Asha got to her feet and moved to stand in front of Naiad, while Kestrel and Hvitur both rose on either side of her. Realizing they were falling into some sort of battle formation, Carnelian went to stand beside the MudWing, flexing her claws. She was a well-trained warrior. Now was the chance to prove her worth.

Then the mist parted and the first dragon stepped out into the open. She was huge and battle-scarred, with pale sand-colored scales and eyes as black as Carnelian's darkest nightmare. A SandWing.

And not just any SandWing.

Princess Burn.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I've been very busy this past month and every time I had some time to myself, I was so tired that I just wanted to relax and read and not do anything productive. I'll try to update more regularly from now on. Thanks, as always, for reviews, favorites, and follows, and thanks for just reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

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Chapter Six

All was silent for a few moments. Carnelian scanned Burn from horns to talons, nose to tail-tip. All she could think was, _How am I supposed to beat_ that _?_

She could see no way. All her training didn't account for the fact that Burn was over twice her size and could probably throw her halfway to the horizon without blinking an eye. Carnelian had stronger wings and was probably faster than the SandWing, but her wings wouldn't do her any good unless she tried to fight in the air and speed would only get her so far. Burn was the best fighter of the three SandWing sisters that had competed for the throne in the War of SandWing Succession and she was famous for her brutality. Carnelian could tell just by looking at the size of Burn's muscles that the rumors were not exaggerated in the slightest.

When her mind had finished processing that this was indeed Princess Burn of the SandWings, Carnelian finally noticed the other dragons that had emerged from the mist on either side of her. One was a RainWing, who was slender but large, indicating that he had probably been very old when he died. His scales weren't eye-scorchingly bright like Kinkajou's had always been back at Jade Mountain; in fact, the pale greens and blues shifting along his body were some of the most subdued colors she'd seen on any dragon, let alone a RainWing.

On Burn's other side stood an equally enormous SeaWing. He was also an unusual color for his tribe; though his scales had a bluish tinge, they were more of a gray color than any of the oceanic hues that were normally found on SeaWings. His eyes were dark and looked almost unfocused. Was he not paying attention, or was there something wrong with his eyesight?

Burn's final companion was a SandWing dragonet, who looked about a year younger than Carnelian. Her black eyes glittered with malice in a way that showed she was ready for a fight. Not only ready for one, Carnelian amended as the dragonet's tail barb twitched, _hungry_ for one.

Hvitur hissed from somewhere off to Carnelian's right. "What do you want, Burn?"

Burn's gaze traveled from one dragon to another, taking in Kestrel's stiff anger, Asha's concern, Carnelian's aggression, and Hvitur's fury. "I think it's obvious that I want this lake."

"Why?" Kestrel demanded. "What's so special about this place?"

"Well, you clearly don't want to give it up," the SandWing said. "That seems to speak volumes about how important it is to _you._ Besides… let's just say I've met someone who knows more about this place than any of you possibly can."

Kestrel, Hvitur, and Asha glanced at each other. _Look at me, too,_ Carnelian thought, annoyed. _I'm just as ready to fight for this spot as you are. Let me help decide whether or not it's worth fighting over._ But of course, the others didn't look at her at all. They simply stared at each other for a few moments. Then Kestrel and Hvitur stepped back, while Asha stepped forward to negotiate.

"Look," the MudWing said. "This lake is big enough for all of us to stay here. You and your group can camp on the other side of it, while the five of us camp on this side."

"Not good enough for me," said Burn, shrugging. "Why share when I have enough dragons to take it by force?"

"There are five of us and only four of you," Hvitur pointed out. "You could still lose."

"That SeaWing of yours clearly isn't feeling well enough to fight," the SandWing countered. Carnelian didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that Naiad was probably still pale from her struggle with the mysterious darkness. "And three out of four of my dragons have venom that could kill you within seconds." She flicked her tail in front of them, showing off the wicked-looking barb at the end of it. "Including me."

 _That RainWing also has camouflage scales,_ Carnelian added silently, turning her gaze to the dragon in question. His jaws were clenched in a way that suggested he might actually fight if he was pushed to it. _If he's as ready to use his venom as Burn seems to think he is, his invisibility could be a real problem for us._

Carnelian glanced the other way and saw that Hvitur was eyeing the RainWing too. _He's probably thinking the same thing._

"What if we just refuse to move?" Kestrel suggested irritably.

"Then we'll chase you out," hissed the SandWing dragonet.

"I'd like to see you try," Carnelian snapped back without thinking.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. The SandWing roared and lunged for Carnelian, swiping her pale claws at the SkyWing's face.

Carnelian leapt back, her heart speeding up as adrenaline surged through her veins. She heard Asha's dismayed cry as though it were coming from far away, which made it easy to ignore. _It's been too long since the last time I had a good fight,_ she thought, flexing her claws. The SandWing rushed forward, aiming a blow at Carnelian's shoulder, but she whirled out of the way and threw herself on her opponent's back.

The SandWing reared up onto her back legs, trying to throw Carnelian off, but the SkyWing already had a firm grip. Holding onto her enemy's shoulders with her wings, she dug her front talons into the sides of the SandWing's long neck, feeling a flood of satisfaction as the younger dragonet shrieked in pain. But before she could jump off, the SandWing rolled, crushing Carnelian under her back before springing to her feet.

Carnelian barely had time to roll out of the way before her opponent's tail-barb stabbed down where her heart had been moments before. But she was used to fighting in battles, and a soldier didn't stop to register how close the last blow had come to killing her. She just kept going. So she lunged for the SandWing, digging her claws into the pale dragon's shoulder. Her enemy whirled around to thwack Carnelian's face with one wing. Pain exploded through her snout, making her vision cloud.

"Stop!" Asha cried, suddenly at Carnelian's side. The MudWing grabbed both dragonets and pried them apart. Carnelian lashed out with her claws one more time, then realized that Asha was standing in between them and pulled back just in time to avoid striking the MudWing's face.

Her SandWing opponent, however, clearly couldn't care less who she hit. She dug her talons into Asha's forearm and raked downward. Asha gave a pained yelp, but didn't fight back. Instead, she shoved Carnelian back a few paces, then turned around to face their enemies, planting herself firmly between the two groups. "That's enough," she panted.

The SandWing dragonet crouched down, still ready to fight, but Burn stepped forward. "Viper, get back," she barked. The younger dragon shot her a glare, but after a few tense moments she reluctantly obeyed.

Asha touched the scratches on her arm and winced. Carnelian glanced over, alarmed to see how deep the wounds were. She felt a flash of guilt, but she pushed it away in favor of a flood of anger. She would have given anything to tear Viper apart, but the dragonet had retreated to stand beside Burn, where she was too well protected.

"Now are you convinced that challenging us would be a foolish decision?" Burn asked.

Carnelian wanted to yell that Asha could have crushed Viper easily if she was actually trying, but she forced herself to stay silent. She had a feeling that would only make things worse for them.

Both groups were silent, the air heavy with tension. "Let's make a deal," Hvitur said finally, his voice stiff but controlled. "You leave us alone and we'll give up the lake in three days."

"What?" Carnelian demanded, whirling around to face the IceWing. "No way! We were here first! This lake belongs to us!"

Kestrel was also staring at Hvitur as though he'd lost his mind. She hissed something too quietly for Carnelian to hear. Hvitur stared back at her intently for a moment, then turned his blue gaze back to Burn. "Well?" he asked, with barely suppressed rage. "Do you accept our offer?"

Burn eyed each one of them warily, as though suspecting that they were up to something, then glanced at her oddly-colored SeaWing. But he didn't seem to be paying attention. His eerie black eyes were staring into nothingness, his tail twitching slightly.

"Fine," Burn growled. "But no more than three days."

With that, the SandWing turned and strode away, beckoning her allies to follow her with a sweep of her tail. Viper glared at Carnelian once more before stalking after her leader. The SeaWing didn't move until the RainWing nudged him with his snout. Then he blinked, as though coming out of a trance, and followed the others without a word.

Kestrel stared at the retreating group until they vanished out of sight. Then she whirled around to face Hvitur with a growl. "You better have some explanation for this," she snarled.

Carnelian opened her mouth to agree with the older SkyWing, but Asha spoke up before she could say a word. "You forgot something, Hvitur," she said, tilting her head to one side with a puzzled expression. "We don't know if Burn and her friends will ever be able to find their way back here. So how are we supposed to fulfill the deal?"

"That's the point," Hvitur said. "We aren't supposed to."

Carnelian stared at him for a few moments, then realized her mouth was still hanging open and closed it with a snap.

Kestrel stared at him, too. Then she shook her head and started to laugh. "You're a genius."

Carnelian tried not to feel impressed, but couldn't quite manage it. Regardless of whether or not he was a SkyWing, Hvitur _was_ pretty smart.

"But what if they are able to find their way back after all?" Naiad asked, speaking up for the first time since Burn's group had arrived. "Then we'll be in trouble. We'll either have to leave the lake like we promised or fight for it."

"Well, even if it does come to that, hopefully by that time you'll have recovered and a few more dragons will have found us and joined our group," Hvitur said. "Then we might be better matched to fight them."

"What about her?" Naiad asked, glancing at Asha.

"I'm fine," the MudWing said, but by now blood was trickling down her leg from the wound Viper had given her. She grimaced and pressed her other talons to the opening, trying to staunch the flow. "Really, it isn't as bad as it looks."

Kestrel gave her a withering stare. "Right. And my scales aren't red."

"Well, I'd call them more of a rust color," Asha tried.

"That's still red," Carnelian pointed out.

"My thoughts exactly," said Hvitur. He came over and studied the MudWing's wounds. "They look pretty deep," he observed, sounding troubled.

"Well, we're already dead, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem" Kestrel said, but she seemed a little disconcerted nevertheless.

"You could try soaking it in the water," Naiad suggested. "That sometimes helps."

Carnelian remembered how blissfully ignorant the SeaWing was of the many debates they'd had over the safety of the water. "Hvitur thinks the water here might be dangerous," she said.

"Well, would you prefer that Asha bleed to death?" Kestrel demanded.

"I thought you said we couldn't die here," Carnelian said snidely, unable to help herself.

"Stop fighting, guys," Asha said. "I think the bleeding is slowing down. There's nothing to worry about, seriously. Except all of us going deaf from your shouting."

Carnelian peered closely at Asha's wounds. Sure enough, the trickling blood had slowed to an ooze. Asha looked a little paler than usual, but otherwise okay. She noticed Carnelian's look of concern and smiled at her reassuringly.

"All right, let's stop worrying about Asha and talk about something else," Kestrel said. "There's nothing we can do about her wounds anyway, since we have no herbs or healing ointment of any kind here. Fretting over it is only going to make her anxious and stop her from healing."

"I know what I want to talk about," Carnelian announced. "That SeaWing ally of Burn's. What was up with him?"

"What do you mean?" Asha asked, frowning.

"His eyes," said Hvitur; it was no surprise that he'd noticed it too. "They were unusually dark and unfocused." He turned to Naiad. "He's from your tribe. Do you know who he is and what might be different about him?"

Naiad shook her head. "No, I've never seen him before."

"How big is the SeaWing tribe?" Carnelian asked. Everyone looked at her, seeming confused. "What I meant was, is it weird that you don't know him, or is the tribe big enough that you would be able to go through your whole life without meeting everyone else?"

"Our tribe is large enough, but it is rather odd that I've never even seen him," said Naiad. "Even if we aren't all familiar with each other, I've probably seen every dragon in the tribe at least once. And I would definitely remember someone like him."

"So either he came from outside the tribe," Hvitur said, "or he's been here since before you were born."

"If that's the case, out of all the dragons I've met, he's been here the longest," said Kestrel.

"Maybe that's why he was acting so strange," Carnelian suggested. "Maybe he's been here so long without anyone to talk to that he's gone a little crazy."

"It's possible," Hvitur said, but he still didn't look entirely convinced.

"Well, let's hope this question never becomes relevant again," Kestrel said. "Burn and her allies are long gone now, and hopefully they won't ever come back."

"We should be on our guard, though," Hvitur said. "If her SeaWing's been here as long as we suspect, he probably knows a lot more secrets about this place than we do. He might know some way to navigate around here."

"Besides," Carnelian added, "define 'days' in a place where there is no sun. You basically just consider it a new day whenever you go to sleep and wake up, right? What if Burn and her followers just go to sleep, wake up for a few moments, then go back to sleep? Their version of three days might be a lot shorter than ours."

"True," Hvitur said, furrowing his brow. "I didn't think of that."

"That's a first," said Asha, grinning.

Hvitur smiled back good-naturedly. "Anyway, I think we should take turns keeping watch now when we go to sleep. We don't know exactly when Burn will be back, or even whether she intends to wait three days at all. If she can find her way around this place, what's to stop her from coming back sooner to spy on us? She might be waiting for us to fall asleep so she can use the element of surprise against us."

"What about that RainWing?" Carnelian asked, with a sudden cold feeling in her stomach. "What if she sends him back, camouflaged, to watch and wait for us to go to sleep? We'd never even know he was here."

"Good point," Kestrel said, frowning. "In that case, Hvitur is right; we'll definitely need at least one dragon awake at all times."

"Starting now," said Hvitur. "Naiad needs to rest, and I'm sure Asha does too. Speaking of which, has the bleeding stopped yet?"

"Not quite," said Asha. "But I'm sure I'll be fine."

"We could try using heat to seal it up," Kestrel suggested, tilting her head to eye the wounds more closely. "I could breathe a little fire on it."

Asha jumped back. "No, thanks!"

"Would that even work?" Carnelian asked, wrinkling her snout.

Kestrel shrugged.

"In that case, definitely no!" said Asha.

"All right, settle down," said Hvitur. "I'll take the first watch. When I get too tired, I'll wake up Kestrel and she can wake up Carnelian at the end of her shift. Asha and Naiad, you two shouldn't take any shifts until you're feeling better."

"Are you sure?" Naiad asked. "I feel like I should do something to pay you four back for everything you've done for me."

"Until you're fully recovered, you shouldn't worry about it," Asha said firmly.

"You heard me, right Asha?" said Hvitur, seeming to find the MudWing's lack of protest suspicious. "You're not going to be stubborn and insist on taking a watch?"

Asha frowned. "Since when have I ever done that?"

"Let's see… how about all the time during the war?" Kestrel suggested.

"No more than the rest of you!" Asha protested.

"Settle down, I mean it!" said Hvitur, raising his voice to be heard over their squabbling. "Or I'll freeze your jaws shut with my frost breath."

The other gradually subsided, grumbling all the while. Asha and Kestrel didn't seem to be taking the IceWing's threat seriously, so Carnelian decided not to either. Still, it was probably better not to make him angry.

Just before she fell asleep, Carnelian's thoughts returned to the odd gray SeaWing. Was it really possible that he'd been here for over twenty years? _He must have been really lonely._ She couldn't suppress a wave of pity at the thought.

 _Stop worrying about other dragons' problems, Carnelian,_ she told herself, but that didn't get rid of the aching feeling in her chest as she drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry, this one's a little shorter than normal, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. For some reason they didn't show up for a few days, but I saw them just a few minutes ago and appreciate every one. StrongFish21, I like your idea!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

 _Carnelian was locked in the middle of a battle, dragons all around her. All of the warriors on her side were SkyWings, but their enemies were a motley bunch of dragons from other tribes. Kestrel was nearby, slashing her claws at a massive SeaWing. Queen Ruby was fighting talon-to-talon with Queen Glacier of the IceWings. Carnelian herself was facing off against Viper the SandWing, who was wearing a satisfied smirk._ I'll rip that grin right off your face, _she thought, lunging for the dragonet. But her opponent was too quick, leaping out of her way with a sunny smile. As her scales caught the light, she transformed into Sunny and reached for Carnelian's talons to give them a friendly squeeze._

What? No! _Carnelian jumped back, feeling repulsed._ I was trying to fight you! Stop being annoying and fight back! _But Sunny didn't seem discouraged by either Carnelian's aversion to her greeting or the snarl she sent her way afterward. She continued forward, talons outstretched._

It's a trap. _The words suddenly sprang up in Carnelian's mind. "No!" she growled, batting Sunny away with a swipe of her claws. "I will not fall for this trick of yours. Show me who you really are!"_

 _Sunny paused. Then, with a wicked grin, all the yellow and gold leeched out of her scales, leaving only the orange behind. It was Queen Scarlet._

 _Triumph surged through Carnelian's veins. "I knew it was you," she hissed in a deadly voice. "Your disguises don't fool me. I can sense your terrible mind through every mask you wear. I will not let you threaten my queen again."_

 _"_ _Oh, really?" Scarlet asked, seeming greatly amused. "A dragonet like you doesn't stand a chance against a queen as old as me. And when my talons are at your throat, I won't be merciful. Are you sure you're ready to meet the fourteen challengers who failed to overthrow me?"_

 _"_ _I think you're the one who's about to see them again," Carnelian said. Then she lunged for the old queen's throat–_

"Carnelian," a voice hissed in her ear. She jumped back, eyes flying open. A large red shape was standing over her, amber eyes glinting.

 _Another enemy,_ Carnelian thought wildly. _Scarlet's taken yet another form to try to trick me. I won't let her!_ She flailed out with her claws, making the other dragon jump away from her with a hiss.

"Carnelian, what is wrong with you?" a familiar voice snapped.

Carnelian blinked, her mind slowly waking up. "Oh," she mumbled. "It was a dream. Sorry, Kestrel, I didn't mean to attack you. I thought… I thought you were someone else."

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Well, it's your turn to take watch. You didn't say anything last night when Hvitur suggested the idea, so I assumed you were all right with it."

"No, no, I am okay with it," Carnelian said hurriedly, rubbing at her eyes. "Just give me a minute to wake up." She yawned and stretched her wings, then blinked rapidly a few times. "Any signs of danger?" she asked.

"No, thankfully not," said Kestrel. "But that doesn't mean you're getting out of your watch, so don't even try it. It's better to be safe than sorry." She wrinkled up her snout. "Three moons, Hvitur _is_ rubbing off on me."

Carnelian smirked. "Your fault for spending so many years working with him."

Kestrel swatted at her, but this time she was ready for it and ducked. The older dragon raised one eyebrow, seeming mildly impressed. "Well, it appears I've been rubbing off on you, too."

"No, I just have amazing reflexes," Carnelian said with a grin.

"And no modesty," said Kestrel.

"Just being honest," Carnelian joked with a shrug. "If I am amazing, it would be lying if I said otherwise." That was a far cry from how she really saw herself, but it was fun to pretend.

Kestrel barked a laugh. "Anyway, if the others are still snoozing, I'm going back to sleep. Have fun with your watch," she added with a slight smirk.

"I will," Carnelian replied with mock sincerity. She watched as Kestrel curled up on the far side of the circle, wrapping her tail around herself and resting her chin just beside the tip. Within a few minutes at most, she was snoring softly.

It didn't take long for Carnelian to realize just how boring a watch was. Maybe if there had been something to look at, it would have been less wearisome, but all she could see was fog and grayness for miles around. After a while, she was tempted to turn around and play with the water, but she supposed it would defeat the purpose of staying up if she didn't pay attention, so she resisted the urge.

When she started to get stiff from sitting in one place for so long, Carnelian patrolled the perimeter of the lake, scanning her gaze in every direction. But that was over too fast, and the other dragons showed no signs of being about to wake up.

 _I should do something productive,_ she told herself. _Like thinking about my figuring-out-why-we're-here quest._ But she was too tired to remember if she'd learned anything new in the past few days and her mind kept wandering to other things.

Worse, whenever she sat still for too long, she started to nod off. Snapping herself awake was annoying, not only because she wanted nothing more than to let herself fall asleep, but also because it was evidence of her unreliability. _I bet the others didn't doze off on their watches. I bet I'm the only one who can win a battle without blinking an eye, but can't stay awake for a few measly hours of guard duty. So pathetic._

Carnelian snapped herself out of that train of thought, because wallowing in self-pity was just as distracting as falling asleep. _I've got to focus. Stay alert._

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but everything seemed darker to her now than it had before she'd gone to sleep. She breathed a small plume of fire into the air, illuminating everything around her with a bright orange glow. She remembered Hvitur breathing his frost-breath on the ground to mark their trail the "day" before and wondered if her fire could work the same way. It all depended on whether or not the ground beneath them could be scorched. It was worth a try.

Carnelian breathed another wisp of fire at the ground. When the flames met the hard gray substance, they made a loud sizzling sound. The SkyWing walked around in a circle, blazing a loop of scorch-marks into the ground. When she reached the same place she'd started, she stopped breathing fire and sat back to admire her work. Yup, this was definitely an effective trail-making method.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to face it. Naiad had raised her head and was staring quizzically at Carnelian. _I must look like such a weirdo,_ the SkyWing thought. "Don't mind me," she whispered. "Just trying something out. Go back to sleep."

The SeaWing tilted her head to one side, then slowly lowered it back onto the ground. _She must be so tired of sitting still,_ Carnelian's brain sympathized. _She was curled up there for a long time, even before the rest of us went to sleep. If I were her, I would be feeling extremely jittery by now._ Then the SkyWing noticed where her train of thoughts was going and cut it off abruptly. _Sheesh, why do I keep feeling sorry for all these dragons?_

Carnelian wanted to get out of that sympathetic mindset, which was making her feel like a mushy pile of potatoes, but before she could cleanse her thoughts of it, her mind drifted to Asha. _I wonder if her wounds are healing._ She debated whether to check on the MudWing or not. _On one talon, that makes me a complete softy. I have a warrior's reputation to keep up. But on the other talon, I won't ever be able to focus on my watch while I keep worrying about her. And while I wish I wasn't worrying about her at all, there's nothing I can do to get rid of that feeling except make sure she's all right._

In the end, her traitorous feelings compelled her to walk over to where Asha was sleeping. She peered down at the MudWing's arm, alarmed to see that the scratches were still bleeding slightly. It wasn't enough that she would bleed to death, but it was enough that Carnelian knew the wound hadn't healed at all since the previous day. _Calm down,_ she told herself. _I'm sure the wounds did heal a little. She probably reopened them accidentally or something._

But there were no scabs around the wound, indicating that it had never finished closing in the first place. There was a small splatter of blood on the ground beneath Asha that had collected while she was sleeping. Worry gnawed at Carnelian's stomach. _Oh, I hate that feeling. Why can't I just not care?_

Naiad shifted her position with a rustling sound. "How is she?"

Carnelian glanced over at the SeaWing. "Didn't I tell you to go back to sleep?"

Naiad lifted her chin defiantly. "I don't have to listen to you. Besides, that's a lot easier said than done. Especially when I'm worried about Asha."

Carnelian glared at her for a few heartbeats, but couldn't come up with a satisfactory reply. "She looks no better than she was when we went to sleep. I'm starting to think wounds might not heal in this place."

Naiad blanched. "Then what are we going to do? If that wound doesn't close, even if it's bleeding very slowly, eventually she's going to bleed to death."

"Kestrel doesn't think we can die again here," Carnelian said, although she didn't believe it herself.

"Then Kestrel's a fool," Naiad hissed. "Either she's terribly unobservant or kidding herself. She saw what happened to Asha. She knows we can get hurt here. How could we not be able to die?"

Carnelian had never heard anyone insult Kestrel so blatantly before and was surprised by it. But she couldn't deny that deep inside, she agreed with Naiad. "Well, she didn't know we could get hurt at first," she ventured. "I think she's reconsidering now, but she doesn't want to admit it."

Naiad sighed, shaking her head. "Pride like that can be dangerous."

Carnelian bristled. Even though she knew the SeaWing was still talking about Kestrel, her words could have easily applied to Carnelian as well. The SkyWing dragonet would admit she was wrong once in a blue moon, but it took a long time for her to swallow her pride enough to get there. Realizing how risky that could be for all of them felt like a kick to the stomach. Naturally, she hid her guilt and shame under a flood of anger.

"You don't know anything," she snapped.

She expected Naiad to be angry, but the SeaWing only tilted her head to the side, her icy blue eyes glittering with an intuitive understanding. "You aren't much different from Kestrel, are you? Even now, you're still being proud."

 _Proud?_ Carnelian wanted to shout. _I'm angry because I'm not good enough! How is hating myself for my flaws being proud?_

But the sound of footsteps behind her stole her attention away before she could say a word. She whirled around, preparing for a fight. _Thrice-cursed moons, I bet Burn and her lackeys are back. They never intended to keep their word after all._

Sure enough, a sand-colored dragon was approaching. But whoever it was seemed to be alone, and the way they were walking threw her off guard. _Still, Burn knew plenty of SandWings in her day. This dragon could be a new minion that she found._ Something clicked in her mind. _That dragon is probably sent as a spy. Burn left him behind when she came to meet with us yesterday so we wouldn't know he was on her side, but now she's sending him to infiltrate the group._

Carnelian flexed her claws. _Well, only one way to deal with traitors._ She waited a few more moments for the SandWing to get closer, pacing forward to stand some distance away from the sleeping dragons. _He's only one SandWing. And huh, odd, he only has three legs. Pfft, probably another trick; Burn wants us to think he's harmless. I can definitely handle him by myself. No need to wake the others up at all._

When the stranger was about three yards away from the scorch-marks she'd burned into the ground, Carnelian sprang. She sailed through the foggy air and landed squarely on her opponent's back. The SandWing roared in shock; clearly he hadn't been expecting an attack. He reared up onto his hind legs, trying to throw Carnelian off, but she clung on.

"Stupid dragonet!" he growled. "Stop attacking me! I don't want to fight!"

"Too bad!" she yelled. "You're trespassing on our turf! Accept your punishment!" She was completely making this up, but it was more fun than outright accusing him of being Burn's spy. She'd do that once she had him pinned and at her mercy.

The noise of their scuffle soon had all the others in the group stirring.

"What's going on?" Asha mumbled.

"Who's attacking?" Hvitur demanded.

"You better have a good reason for making that much of a racket, or I will rip your wings off and shove them up your snout," Kestrel grumbled.

"I'm _defending the group_ ," Carnelian said indignantly. "There's no need to be so rude."

Hvitur was the first to spot the writhing SandWing. "Carnelian, stop!" he shouted, bounding over to them. He closed his ice-cold talons around Carnelian's arm and pulled her off her opponent.

"Hey, I'm the one on your side!" Carnelian yelped. "Why are you helping him?"

"He's our friend," said Hvitur. "He's on our side, too!"

That made her pause. She eyed the SandWing skeptically, wrinkling her snout. "I don't know, he looks pretty battle-scarred and dangerous to me. How would you Talons of Peace know a three-legged dragon? Weren't you all avoiding the war?"

The SandWing flinched. "Some of us were in the war before we joined the Talons of Peace," he said in a quiet, gruff voice. "Not all of us were lucky enough to make it out unscathed."

"Dune!" Asha shouted in delight, tackling the SandWing with a hug. A moment later, she winced, clearly feeling the pain of her injuries. She withdrew her arms and examined the wounded one, frowning at the blood still oozing out of it.

"Oh," Carnelian grumbled. "Another one of you prophecy-dragonet-guardians."

Kestrel shot her a look that made her quiet down. The older SkyWing nudged Hvitur and Asha aside and gave Dune a somehow-warrior-like-hug with one wing. "Good to see you, old friend."

The four Talons of Peace formed a circle, smiling and laughing and all talking over each other in their eagerness. Carnelian felt as though her heart were being twisted. No one had ever greeted her like that. It seemed like the sort of thing her winglet would have done back at Jade Mountain Academy. Minus her, of course. But when some of these dragons hadn't seen each other in over six years, the reunion was somehow transformed from a gushy, softhearted thing into a moment that was almost too beautiful to watch. Like the sun glowing red on the horizon at the end of the day, it was painful to look at.

Carnelian turned away, feeling an odd mixture of happiness and grief. She closed her eyes to stop the sudden prickling tears from falling out. She waited for the moment to pass, then blinked her eyes open and willed herself to be strong. She glanced at Naiad, wondering if the SeaWing felt the same way as she did. When their eyes met, she saw her own soul reflected in that pale blue gaze. Suddenly feeling less alone, she took a deep breath and turned back to watch the circle of friends.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: As of the latest chapter, this story has over 1,000 views! I'm so happy that so many of you read and enjoy this story. Thanks for all the views, reviews, favorites, and follows.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

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Chapter Eight

Carnelian plodded along the edge of the lake, leaving footprints in the dull gray mud that had recently appeared there. The feeling of the wet dirt caking around her talons was unpleasant, but looking at the perfectly formed prints she left behind brought her enough satisfaction to make it worth it. She resolved to tell Asha about this development when she got back to the other side of the lake; she knew the MudWing would be delighted. That is, if Asha and the others ever stopped reminiscing about their lives and completely ignoring her and Naiad.

Carnelian glanced across the water for what felt like the millionth time. In the past few hours or so since Dune had shown up, the afterworld had definitely gotten darker, making it difficult for anyone to see very far in front of them, but the Talons of Peace hadn't let that stop them from having a lively conversation about their past experiences. Kestrel, Asha, and Hvitur had taken it upon themselves to pass along the information Carnelian had given them about the end of the war and how the Dragonets of Destiny were doing. _They don't even need me for that anymore,_ the SkyWing thought sullenly. _I know that wasn't always my favorite job, but it was nice to be needed for something._

She shifted her gaze to Naiad, who was rinsing her webbed talons in water a few meters down the shore from the Talons of Peace. Before, the SeaWing had seemed to feel the same way that Carnelian did, but when the SkyWing had subtly tried to join her, she had equally subtly hinted that she wanted to be alone. Carnelian had tried not to feel hurt, but she couldn't even muster up the proper annoyance she should feel with herself for wanting to spend time with a dragon from another tribe. All she could feel was that terrible loneliness that she had tried to make herself immune to years ago when she first started training to be a soldier.

Carnelian glanced at the swirling sky, trying to distract herself. _First the darkness, then the mud. It seems like this world is starting the mirror the real one a little more. It must be night in that world. Either that or some sort of apocalypse, which I highly doubt. Or maybe this world has feelings that affect how it looks, and it's feeling just as low as I am right now._

Right. So much for a distraction. The SkyWing sighed and kept walking.

When the first trails of shadow began to gather around her, she thought they were just the ordinary mist. In the darkness that had fallen while she slept, the oblivion around them looked black and the mist looked more like storm clouds than fog. These thin shadows looked pretty much the same. But then she started to hear voices and she knew it was no regular mist.

 _You are nothing,_ a voice whispered in her mind.

 _Excuse me?_ She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not. It seemed like the sort of thing her imagination would come up with. Or maybe she was finally losing her mind from spending so much time in an empty world with a bunch of dead dragons.

 _You are nothing, and your so-called "friends" know it. Do you think they care about you? Do you think they_ like _you? If so, you are only kidding yourself._

 _That's not true,_ Carnelian fired back, more to be contradictory than because she actually believed it. _Asha likes me. Maybe not my attitude, but she likes everyone and she can't help it._

 _Some comfort,_ the voice said mockingly. It seemed amused. _She may treat you with kindness, but that's only because she is a "good" dragon. If she could replace you with someone else, she would._ Carnelian opened her mouth to argue, but the voice cut her off before she could utter a word. _Still in denial? This world is_ mine. _I_ am _this world. I can see the thoughts of everyone here. I know. So blubber away all you want that I don't know anything, just like you did to that SeaWing. The truth is, I know far more than you do._

Carnelian shivered and tried to shake her head, but it was like she was caught in a nightmare and she couldn't move. As though from a distance, she saw more shadows coalesce around her like a cocoon. She struggled, but they stuck to her scales like cobwebs.

 _Let me go!_ she demanded. _What do you want from me?_

 _Want?_ The voice laughed. _I don't want anything from you. It's just so much fun to see you suffer. And the best part? It's all so_ meaningless. _Your suffering is in vain. You are nothing._

 _Obviously I'm something,_ Carnelian argued. _If I was nothing, I wouldn't exist._ But some part of her deep within was saying that the voice was right. _Stop trying to fight back,_ it whispered. _You can't win because it's true: you_ are _nothing._

"Carnelian!" a voice called from outside the darkness, sounding alarmed. Asha's voice. "Can you hear me? What happened? Are you all right?"

 _She doesn't care,_ the voice scoffed. _She's just afraid because she doesn't know how you got like this and she's worried the same thing will happen to her. Though that worry is as pointless as yours. She's nothing, too. You all are._

Despair cracked open in Carnelian's chest like a void. Suddenly she had no more energy left to fight back. _It's pointless anyway, you know,_ said the reasonable yet terrible part of her deep inside. _That voice is right. Everything he says is right. Everything you say is wrong._

"What's going on?" someone outside the darkness demanded. Kestrel. Only Kestrel ever used that tone. "Is that Carnelian in there? Three moons, wasn't she looking where she was going? I can't believe she just walked into that darkness after Naiad _warned_ us about it."

Her scorn made Carnelian feel ten times worse. Her wings were sagging and losing feeling. Her talons had gone so completely numb that she'd lost track of them a long time ago.

"That's not going to help her," said a gruff, quiet voice. It had to be Dune.

There came the sound of talons thumping on the ground. "Is she all right?" Naiad asked breathlessly, coming to a stop beside the others.

"Does it look like she's all right?" Kestrel snapped.

A tense pause. "No," Naiad said finally, sounding extremely edgy. "I–"

"Everybody either do something to help or move out of the way!" said Hvitur. "Asha, do you think you could pull her out the way you did for Naiad?"

"I don't know, but I'll try." A moment later, warm talons grasped her arm. Hope surged through Carnelian's veins. Asha tugged, then gasped and let go. _No!_ Carnelian wanted to yell. _Don't leave me!_ But her vocal cords were as paralyzed as the rest of her and she couldn't make a sound.

"What's wrong?" Hvitur asked anxiously.

"It's my wound," said Asha. "It hurts too much. I mean, I don't care about the pain, but my muscles gave out. I can try again, but I don't know if I can do it."

 _See?_ laughed the voice. _You are all nothing here._

"I know we aren't as strong as Asha, but maybe we can pull her out if we all try together," Hvitur said. "Come on Kestrel, Dune, Naiad. We have to try."

Naiad was still stammering indistinctly. "I– I don't think–"

"Come on!" Kestrel snapped. "I know you already experienced this and you're probably terrified out of your wits, but pull yourself together! Do you want to help Carnelian, or do you want her to be stuck in the darkness forever?"

"That's not it!" Naiad sounded furious, but no one was paying her attention anymore.

"On the count of three," Hvitur said firmly. "One… two… three!"

Three and a half sets of talons grabbed Carnelian and nearly yanked her arm off. But still the darkness held onto her, refusing to relinquish her from its clutches. It was barely using any of its strength, yet it still overpowered the four dragons.

"Why isn't it working?" Hvitur sounded frustrated, but probably more because he was faced with a problem he couldn't solve than because he cared about liberating Carnelian.

"I don't know," Asha said anxiously. "Carnelian? If you can hear us, say something."

Carnelian's tail was now joining the club of appendages that no longer had any feeling in them. She wasn't sure what would happen if she lost feeling altogether, but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Maybe she can't be freed by force," Dune said. "Maybe it has to be some other way."

"What do you suggest, tickling the shadows?" Kestrel asked acidly. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure darkness can't be ticklish. If you have any other ideas, feel free to share them, because I'm all out at the moment."

Naiad gave up trying to talk to the others and appealed directly to Carnelian. "If you can hear me, don't let the darkness win!" she called. "It's going to keep targeting your weak spots. If you let yourself believe that it's right, you'll never get out."

 _But it_ is _right,_ the nasty part of Carnelian said.

"It's not right!" Naiad shouted, as though she could hear what Carnelian was thinking. "Whatever it's saying, it's wrong! You're a talented dragon! A great fighter! You didn't let anyone down. You did the best you could in your life, and it's enough. You're not alone. You're not unloved. You are a wonderful, special, remarkable dragon and no one has the right to tell you otherwise!"

It seemed impossible that the SeaWing could really mean what she was saying, but Carnelian could hear the passion and honesty in every word. _She does mean it. She cares._ The feeling started to come back in Carnelian's tail.

 _You're still nothing,_ the voice said, but it didn't sound as sure. _You're all nothing._

 _Not in Naiad's eyes,_ Carnelian thought. It wasn't an amazing thought, or even a happy one, but it was enough. _At least one dragon cares about me. And really, I don't think she's the only one. Even if they're ten miles away from loving me, they wouldn't be panicking and trying so hard to get me out if they didn't care at all._

The voice was silent. Then, slowly, the shadows began to dissipate, leaving Carnelian to slump to the ground in exhaustion. Her head swam, forcing her to shut her eyes tightly and wait for the nausea to pass.

Asha crouched down beside her. "Carnelian? How do you feel?"

Carnelian coughed, relieved that her vocal cords seemed to be working again, even if they did feel like they'd been twisted around a lot. "Terrible," she croaked.

"At least you're alive," Hvitur said, sounding tremendously relieved.

"Not really," Kestrel said, raising her eyebrows at the gloomy world around them.

"You know what I mean," the IceWing sighed.

Dune glanced down at her sympathetically. "You should rest for a while," he advised in a low, rumbling voice. "You look like you need it."

Carnelian remembered how shaky and pale Naiad had been when Asha pulled her out of her own darkness. "If it looks as bad as it feels, that's putting it nicely," she said, smiling weakly.

Speaking of Naiad… Carnelian let her gaze rest on the SeaWing, who was fiddling nervously with her claws. Even though the darkness was gone, she still seemed ready to jump out of her scales. Carnelian didn't blame her; the memory of the world's voice in her mind was so vivid that thinking back on it was just as horrible as actually experiencing it. Naiad looked so much better that it was easy to forget that she'd gone through this less than a day ago.

"Hey," she said, clearing her throat and waiting for the SeaWing to look up. When she did, Carnelian met her pale blue gaze and held it. "Thank you." The thought of elaborating made her squirm with embarrassment, but she forced herself to. _Swallow your pride,_ she reminded herself. _This dragon's earned it._ "If you hadn't said what you did, I probably wouldn't be here."

Naiad blinked. "You're welcome," she said. "I just wish I'd spoken sooner. It might have saved you a lot of suffering."

Carnelian tilted her head to one side. _Huh, she's a little insecure, too. I never would have guessed._ It was strange what you could learn about others in the darkest moments.

They returned to their usual side of the lake, Hvitur and Kestrel walking on either side of Carnelian to support her. By the time they were there, the SkyWing dragonet was so tired that she could have fallen asleep standing up if Hvitur's cold scales hadn't been making her teeth chatter. As soon as her cheek touched the ground, she fell into a slumber as deep as the ocean.

* * *

 **A/N: There might be a bit of a wait between this chapter and the next; I have another project to work on that's due by the end of the month and I have to make sure I finish that before I can do anything else with this story. Hopefully I can finish it early and post at least one more chapter this month, but I can't make any promises. Anyway, thank you all again for reading and I hope you have a great day!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: It's been a while! I'm sorry I haven't posted anything earlier; I've been tremendously busy (again) and one of the upcoming chapters has been giving me trouble. I think I've got it pretty much sorted out, though, so hopefully there won't be any more backups.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

When Carnelian woke, everything was brighter than she was used to. The mist overhead and at the horizons almost seemed to glow. But she only got a quick glimpse of it all before her eyes snapped shut of their own accord, black spots dancing across the insides of her eyelids. _Ack, too bright._

After a few more moments, she risked squinting. It felt as though she had stepped into direct sunlight after a month of being underground in absolute darkness. _I guess I never noticed how dark it was here. Now that it's finally sort of bright, my eyes need a major readjustment._ If the darkness from before meant it was night in the real world, now it was definitely day.

Carnelian forced herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn. She blinked a few times to clear the black spots, but before she could really get her bearings, Asha's voice made her jump.

"Good morning!" the MudWing said cheerfully. "I was starting to think you might never wake up. You've been asleep for a _long_ time. But Hvitur figured you needed the rest, so he said none of us should wake you up."

"'Morning, Asha," Carnelian mumbled sleepily. Then her groggy brain processed the rest of the MudWing's words. "Wait," she said, suddenly snapping awake. "How long have I been out?"

"Well, it's hard to say exactly," said Asha. "But I do know that the rest of us went to sleep a while after you did. And we all woke up quite some time ago. But, judging by the lighting, it hasn't been more than a day, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh," the SkyWing dragonet said, feeling relieved. "You made it sound like we should be waiting for Burn and her group to show up any minute now."

"No," Asha laughed. "Not _that_ long. I was just exaggerating a little. But three moons, you were really deeply asleep. We had to check a few times to make sure you were still breathing."

Carnelian looked around, trying to orient herself. She was exactly where she'd collapsed the "day" before. _Although technically it was last night, even if we were all awake. Ugh, so confusing._ Dune was sitting on his haunches a few yards away, but none of the others were anywhere in sight.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Where are Kestrel and the others?"

"Oh, they went scouting for other dragons," Asha said. "Hvitur's mind is still on Burn and her allies. He thinks we'd probably be strong enough to fight them now that Naiad's feeling better and we have Dune, but he still wants to see if we can find one or two more dragons, just to be on the safe side. Especially considering the fact that my arm is totally battered up and I probably wouldn't be very useful in a fight."

"Speaking of your wounds, how are you feeling?" Carnelian asked.

"Oh, much better now!" the MudWing said, shifting her arm so they could both look at it. "Naiad brought me some mud that she found on the other side of the lake and helped me sort of cake it on. Wasn't that thoughtful of her?"

Carnelian tilted her head, examining the makeshift bandage. She distantly remembered hearing something about wet earth being healing to MudWings. "Yes, that was quite thoughtful," she said. "Do you think the mud will still help in this world?"

"Not sure how much," Asha admitted. "But it's definitely helped a little. Hvitur made me check on the wound a little while ago and it's stopped bleeding altogether."

"That's great!" Carnelian said, surprised but genuinely happy to hear it.

"By the way, how are _you_ feeling?" Asha asked.

"Much better than yesterday," Carnelian replied. "Yester-night. Whatever. I'm still kind of tired, but I don't feel like a wilting plant anymore."

Asha laughed. "Glad to hear it."

Carnelian stared off into the distance, her mind slowly returning to the beginning of their conversation. It triggered a sudden memory that she hadn't even realized she'd been wondering about. "Hey, I have a question," she said.

"Go ahead," Asha prompted.

"You said that Hvitur was the one who was the most concerned about the whole Burn situation. And when we met her, he seemed to have some sort of personal grudge against her. I mean, we all hate her, but he seemed ready to rip her face off. Do you know why?"

The MudWing tilted her head to one side, thinking about it. "Huh. Actually, I don't know."

"I have a pretty good guess," Dune said, making Carnelian jump; she'd almost forgotten he was there. "When we found Hvitur's body, it bore marks of a SandWing's barb. I'd be willing to bet that she was the one who killed him."

 _That makes sense,_ Carnelian thought. But some cheeky part of her couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure it wasn't you?"

Dune turned his black gaze on her, regarding her silently for a long while. His tail-barb twitched and it took all of Carnelian's willpower not to leap away from him. _Maybe trying to tease him wasn't the greatest idea._

"Ah," he said at last, "that was a poor attempt at a joke, wasn't it?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it _poor_ ," she began, then thought better of it. "You know what? Since neither of you are laughing, I guess I would."

Dune tilted his head to one side, as though she were an exceptionally difficult puzzle that he couldn't solve. "You are definitely the strangest comedian I've ever met."

"That's because I'm not one," she said. "Back when I was alive, nobody thought I was funny. I was always 'the grumpy one' or 'that sullen dragon over there'. I was only forced to develop a sense of humor so I wouldn't go insane here."

"Whether or not that worked is debatable," the SandWing muttered.

Insulted, she opened her mouth to shoot back some stinging retort (what she was going to say was unclear, but she knew she would have come up with something good eventually). But before she could say a word, one of Dune's ears twitched and his eyes flicked to the horizon. "It appears the others are on their way back," he said.

Carnelian followed his gaze, smiling involuntarily when she saw the three figures on the horizon: one rust red, one deep blue, and one sparkling silver. They were following a trail of Hvitur's ice, which ended a few feet away from Dune. _Stop grinning like an idiot,_ she told herself. _You'll only give that stupid SandWing more reasons to think you're crazy._ She managed to get rid of the silly expression, but she couldn't quite smother her feelings. _What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so ridiculously cheerful? I guess I really am nuts._

"Doesn't look like they found anyone," said Asha.

"They might have. It just might have been someone annoying that they didn't want on the team," said Carnelian, thinking of Bigtail.

The MudWing frowned, but didn't say anything.

Carnelian, Asha, and Dune waited in silence for the other three to arrive. Now that she was fully awake, sitting still was making the SkyWing feel antsy. She shifted from foot to foot in a kind of anxious dance. Asha spotted her and started to laugh, but Carnelian's jitteriness won out over her self-consciousness. That is, until Dune glanced over his shoulder and frowned at her.

"Can you stop that?" he asked. "It's making me nervous."

"Sorry," Carnelian said automatically, barely managing to repress a _sir._ Dune reminded her of a general, which she wasn't sure was a good thing. When she'd first gotten here, it would have been a relief to find something so normal. Now, after days of unorganized debating, squabbling, and even joking with the others in the group, it made her feel uncomfortable, like her scales were overlapping the wrong way.

"Hello, Carnelian," Kestrel said as they approached, nodding to the dragonet it a way that made it hard to tell if she was being serious or not. "Good to see you've finally decided to rejoin us."

"What she means is, 'I'm glad you're okay'," said Hvitur. "And so are the rest of us."

"Thanks, guys," Carnelian said, surprised and touched by their words.

"Nice to see you're feeling better," said Naiad, but although it was clear she meant what she was saying, she also seemed distracted. "If you're feeling up to it, could we talk for a moment?"

"Sure," Carnelian said, startled. "What about?"

"Not here," the SeaWing said. "I think this is something we should discuss alone."

Carnelian started to feel nervous. She had an odd sense that she knew where this conversation was going and she didn't like it. She wasn't comfortable talking about her emotions at all, much less with a dragon she barely knew. But she could see that Naiad was determined, and refusing to talk with her would probably create unnecessary tension in the group. She supposed she'd better oblige. "All right," she agreed reluctantly.

"Thanks," Naiad said. "Let's just go down the shore a little bit."

The two of them walked along the edge of the lake, avoiding a recently formed patch of mud. Carnelian was tempted to dislike the world's newest development, but if it was helping Asha, she supposed she had to tolerate it. They stopped about halfway to the far side of the lake, leaving them close enough that they could still see the group clearly but far enough away that the others wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying.

Carnelian studied Naiad's face. The SeaWing looked serious and a little nervous, as though she wasn't entirely comfortable with what she was about to say. If this was going to be about feelings, which it was looking more and more like it would be, Carnelian wanted no part in it. If Naiad was indecisive about whether or not to go through with it, the SkyWing was going to help her make the right decision.

"Look," she said without preamble. "If you want to talk about personal stuff, I'd really rather not. I don't like sharing things about myself, and I suck at putting my feelings into words anyway. So why don't we quit now before things get awkward?"

Naiad took a deep breath. "I'm tempted to agree with you," she said. "I'd really rather not talk about this myself. But it's important. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have bothered you."

Carnelian bit back a sigh. "What is it, then? Don't drag this out."

"The shadows," said Naiad. "What did they say to you?"

Carnelian recoiled. "Why do you care?" she snapped defensively. She knew that she really did owe Naiad an answer, since the SeaWing was the one who helped her get out of that sticky situation, but everything in her screamed, _No, no, no! That's private! Never tell anyone your weakness!_

Naiad avoided her gaze. "Like I said, I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. I'm not just being nosy, I promise. I just– I think this could help us figure something out. So please… trust me."

Carnelian took a shaky breath. All her instincts told her not to speak, not to trust this SeaWing, not to trust anyone with something so personal. But although she didn't know very much about Naiad, she did know one thing: the SeaWing was extremely intuitive. The night before, she'd been able to figure out something about Carnelian that the SkyWing barely admitted to herself and certainly never talked about with anyone else. It had been little more than a guess, but it was spot-on. If Naiad thought she was on to something and she needed this information to figure it out, then it would be in everyone's best interest to tell her.

"All right," Carnelian muttered. "I'll tell you. But you better not repeat even _one word_ to anyone else, even the others in the group. Got it?"

"Fine," Naiad said. "Everything we say now stays between us unless we both decide otherwise. Good enough for you?"

"I suppose." Carnelian took a deep breath. "The shadows… well, they said a lot of things about me not being good enough. They said none of you guys actually cared about me. That you were just putting up with me."

She could feel Naiad's gaze on her, but she refused to look up and meet the SeaWing's eyes. She would completely lose her nerve if she did. "Is that all you need to know?"

"First of all, none of that is true," Naiad said firmly. "I know that the others care about you. I haven't known you for nearly as long and I already care about you. When you spend this much time with other dragons, especially in a situation like this, you can't _not_ care."

"Yeah, whatever," Carnelian said, staring at the ground as though it had the answers to all the problems in the world. _Oh, how I wish it did._

"Secondly," the SeaWing added more gently, "there's one more thing I have to ask you. Was there any one phrase that the darkness kept repeating? One that stood out?"

Carnelian racked her brains. It took her a while to come up with something, but eventually the words came back to her. "Yeah," she said slowly. "It kept saying that I was nothing. But then it said that everyone was. 'You are all nothing here.' Or something like that."

Naiad furrowed her brow. "Huh. Not to minimize your suffering, but that's interesting."

Carnelian scowled. "How is that interesting?"

"Because that's nothing like what it told me," the SeaWing answered. "I thought there would be some sort of pattern. I mean, I figured that it would be customized to attack everyone's personal weaknesses, but I thought they would be connected in some way."

"Stop being confusing," Carnelian snapped. "Just tell me what it said to you."

Naiad hesitated, then seemed to decide that the SkyWing had earned an answer. "It attacked me when I was feeling lonely. I was missing Webs and Riptide more than usual that day. It was making me despair by saying I would be alone forever. But then its tone changed. It started telling me there was a way to go back. But when I demanded to know what it was, it never finished the answer. All it said was, 'If you wish to return…' Then it stopped and kept repeating. It was driving me insane. If Asha hadn't pulled me out–" She stopped abruptly.

Although Naiad didn't finish the sentence, Carnelian knew what she was leaving unsaid. She barely suppressed a shiver. "You were hoping it told me the rest of the answer, weren't you?"

"Yes," the SeaWing sighed. "I suppose I was wrong."

"Do you think there really is a way to go back to the real world?" Carnelian asked.

"I'm not sure," Naiad said. "But there's one more thing. I don't know if the voice told you this, but when I was trapped in the darkness it told me it _was_ this world. If that much is true… we could get a lot of answers about this place if we put together all the information it told us."

"Assuming it was telling the truth," the SkyWing pointed out.

"You're right, it could have been trying to give me false hope," said Naiad. "But I think it's more likely that it's purposely telling us only part of the truth, enough to frustrate us but not enough that we can actually learn anything from it."

"What a jerk," Carnelian grumbled. A moment later, unease settled in her stomach. "If that really is the voice of this world, we need to be more careful. So far we haven't run into any real trouble other than the darkness, but… it sounds like it doesn't particularly like us. In fact, I'd say it doesn't have any qualms about tormenting us for its own amusement."

"Agreed," said Naiad. "All right, now that we're done sharing embarrassing and painful experiences, we have a decision to make. Are we going to mention this to the others?"

"No," Carnelian said immediately. "I mean, maybe?" She sighed. "Sorry, I know the best thing to do would be to tell them. If we all need to watch out, they need to know about this. But… I think it would be too much right now. It was hard enough talking to you about it. I don't know if I'm ready for them to know yet."

Naiad nodded. "I know how you feel. But at the same time, the others might be able to help us figure this out in more detail. I know Hvitur is good at solving problems. And even though I know none of your original group has seen anything like this before, Dune might have. When you were stuck in your own darkness, he was the first one to suggest trying something other than physical force to get you out. I have a feeling he might know more than he's letting on."

"Then why didn't you ask him to talk with us?" Carnelian inquired.

"Because I don't know him very well," Naiad said. "I wasn't comfortable sharing this with him, especially since he might not know anything about it after all. I don't want to suffer that kind of embarrassment for no reason."

"You hardly know me well either," Carnelian scoffed.

"I know more about you than you think," the SeaWing said. "I know you're proud and sometimes a bit grouchy, but I also know you care a lot about this group. I've seen you fight twice to defend them. To me, that makes you plenty trustworthy."

Her words made the dragonet feel warm inside. "Oh," was all she could say.

Naiad smiled. "Thanks for telling me what you know. That took a lot of courage."

"In that case, you're just as brave as I am," said Carnelian.

The SeaWing flushed, which made her scales look slightly purple. "Thank you."

Carnelian smiled. Then she grew serious again. "So are we in agreement?" she asked. "We aren't telling any of the others about this yet?"

"Yes," Naiad confirmed. "We're keeping this a secret for now."

"Then what are we supposed to tell them we talked about?" Carnelian asked, as they set off back the way they came. She almost stepped straight into the mud before she remembered its existence and skirted around it.

"We don't need to tell them anything," said Naiad. "Private conversations stay private. I don't think the others are nosy enough to ask us about it, and if they do, we just don't say anything."

Carnelian grinned. "I'm a master at telling dragons to mind their own business."

Naiad laughed. "I bet you are."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

When Carnelian and Naiad returned to the group, the others were discussing their recent outing. They hadn't found any new dragons, but they had stumbled upon a stretch of ground covered in scorch marks that they believed might be Burn's camp. "It wasn't right next door or anything, but it was close enough to make me nervous," said Hvitur.

"Everything makes you nervous," Kestrel said, rolling her eyes.

"Not true," the IceWing said, looking offended.

"You're not giving him enough credit, Kestrel," Asha insisted. "He _did_ stand up to Burn yesterday. Or two days ago." She frowned. "I'm losing track of our days."

"All the more reason to keep our guard up," said Hvitur. "They could be back any minute."

Everyone became a bit jumpy after that.

"Maybe we could start scratching lines into the ground to mark the days," Naiad suggested. She paused briefly to glance over her shoulder. Carnelian wanted to smack Hvitur for setting them all on edge, but she reminded herself that it was his idea that got them these three extra days in the first place and managed to control the urge. "Now that this world seems to be mirroring the real one a bit more, it should be easier for us to keep track of when one day ends and another begins."

"That's a good idea," said Hvitur.

"I agree," said Asha. "All in favor?"

Everyone else murmured their assent. _Looks like we're a democracy now,_ Carnelian thought. But even though it wasn't the hierarchy of power she was used to from her days in the army, it was better than a _let the adult dragons make all the decisions and ignore the dragonets_ government, so she wasn't complaining.

"I think we should rest a bit, then go back out to look for more dragons," said Hvitur.

Carnelian knew that Kestrel had been out all morning and expected the other SkyWing to complain, but she simply nodded and curled up near the water for a nap. _Maybe something's bothering her,_ she thought. _But then again, she tends to get snappier when she's upset, not silent._

"I'm not tired," said Asha. "I've been asleep for a long time."

"Maybe we can do something else, then," Carnelian suggested. "I think my scales will fall off from boredom if I try to sleep for even one more minute."

"As long as you're quiet," said Hvitur. "I need sleep."

"Sure, whatever," Carnelian yawned.

The IceWing frowned at her rudeness, but didn't say anything else. He crossed their camp and went to lie down a few yards away from Kestrel.

"I know I was out there with them, but I'm not really tired either," said Naiad. "So I'll join whatever activity you two are doing, assuming it isn't going to involve mortal peril or embarrassing secrets."

"Do we look like the kind of dragons who would play spin-the-narwhal-horn at the lunch tables?" Carnelian asked. "I'm a soldier, not some little brat who needs a time out."

Dune looked at her critically, as though he had his doubts, but wisely refrained from voicing his opinions aloud.

"I have an idea," Asha said in a low voice, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "Come on, let's move farther down the shore so we don't keep the others awake." She led the way, limping slightly from the wounds in her leg. The other three exchanged glances, then followed her.

They settled about a quarter of the way around the lake, sitting in a circle in the mud. Naiad scooped some of it up with her webbed claws and patted it gently onto Asha's injuries; the MudWing smiled gratefully at her in response. Dune sat down with the rest of them, but his posture was more alert and he swished his tail behind him every once in a while. _Army habits._ Carnelian recognized the symptoms.

"So what's your idea?" Naiad asked when she was finished dressing Asha's wounds.

Asha grinned widely as she spoke, as though she couldn't contain her excitement. "It's a game where we each suggest an activity, and we all say who we think would be most or least likely to do it."

Carnelian thought about it for a while. "That sounds like it has the potential to be funny."

Naiad smiled. "I might not be as good at this as the rest of you, since I haven't know you as long, but I'm in," she said.

Dune gave a shrug of his shoulders, but didn't say anything. _Spoil-sport,_ Carnelian thought.

"All right, I'll start," said Asha. She tapped her claws on the ground in front of her, thinking. "Oh, I've got one. Keeping a secret diary."

"Definitely not me," Carnelian said immediately.

"That denial was pretty automatic," Naiad pointed out, grinning slyly. "Are you sure you aren't covering something up?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Carnelian protested, while the others laughed.

"I think Kestrel's least likely," said Asha. "You might have an army journal or something, even if it wasn't quite a diary. Kestrel hates writing and has terrible penmanship."

"Agreed," rumbled Dune.

"I think so, too," said Naiad.

"All right, now who do you think is the _most_ likely to keep a secret diary?" Asha asked. "Remember this is meant to be a game, not an insult-fest, so everyone keep their claws to themselves and try not to overreact, okay?"

"It might be me," Naiad mused. "I wouldn't keep its existence a secret, since I'm not ashamed to write down my thoughts every once in a while, but I wouldn't let anyone see it."

"Aw," said Carnelian, disappointed. "If it isn't a big scandal, it isn't funny."

"It's not meant to be scandalous, it's meant to be the truth," the SeaWing said, but she seemed more amused than offended. "What do you three think, then?"

"Hvitur, for sure," Carnelian said, making Asha laugh.

"He's so stoic!" the MudWing exclaimed. "He almost never gets excited about anything. Imagine how funny it would be if he was letting it all out in a diary."

Carnelian began to grin as she thought about it. "He's all serious on the outside, but secretly he's as hyper as a RainWing!" A mixture of Hvitur and Kinkajou popped into her mind, somehow both hilarious and disturbing at the same time.

"And imagine if that was something all IceWings did," Asha continued. "They wear their real-world personas whenever we're around, pretending to be all snobby and sophisticated, but as soon as they're alone, they reveal their true colors!"

Carnelian doubled over laughing. _I totally can't see Winter or his sister doing that at all!_

"You two are silly," Naiad said, but she was laughing, too.

Dune was the only one who didn't seem amused. He shifted uncomfortably, as though he wasn't used to being surrounded by giggling dragons.

"What's wrong?" Carnelian asked, poking him in the ribs and making him glare at her. "Are you embarrassed because you're the one with a secret diary?"

"No," he grumbled, edging out of her reach.

"You're not convincing me," Carnelian said.

"It's okay, Dune, we're all friends here," said Asha. "You don't have to be embarrassed. We may have a good laugh at you, but we aren't judging." Her eyes glittered with mirth. "So, who wants to go next?"

"I will," said Naiad. "Who do you think is the most likely to get into a fight they can't win?"

"Carnelian," the others chorused.

"Hey!" Carnelian said.

"Not to be mean, but it's true," said Asha, clearly trying and failing to suppress a smile. "There were three other dragons backing up Viper and yet you still fought her."

"That's not fair," the SkyWing dragonet argued. "Viper started that fight, not me. I was just defending myself." The other three exchanged skeptically amused looks, which made her want to stamp her feet in frustration. Unfortunately, that would only make her look like a spoiled brat, and though it was tempting to do it anyway, she didn't want to forever ruin her reputation. She'd already begun to lose her discipline; giving up her dignity with it was out of the question.

"The round was 'who's most likely to _get_ into a fight they can't win'," Naiad reminded her. "Not 'who's most likely to start one'. So, considering the fact that you've already gotten into one fight here and none of the rest of us have, I'm afraid the odds are against you."

"Who were you going to say?" Asha asked, intervening before Carnelian could come up with a stinging retort. The SkyWing reluctantly pushed down her indignation.

"Kestrel," she replied. "Her temper might be even fierier than mine."

"Kestrel is a lot of things," Dune acknowledged, "but reckless isn't one of them. She's more likely to bide her time, waiting for an opportunity to strike, than to challenge a powerful enemy in the heat of the moment. And when she's outnumbered, she knows that survival is more important than her pride." He tilted his head to one side, eyeing Carnelian thoughtfully. "You, on the other talon–"

"Yeah, I know," Carnelian said, cutting him off. "I never said I was smart, okay? Because I'm not, and I know it. Now can we end this everyone-make-fun-of-Carnelian session and move on to the next question?"

Asha and Naiad both glanced at her, seeming unsure how seriously to take her comments, but she dismissed their concern with a rapid flick of her tail. She wasn't about to sink into a hole of self-pity and despair again. And her irritation wasn't enough to make her want to quit the game. On the contrary, she wanted to get back at the others for mocking her. She could get over her bruised pride if theirs were equally bruised. The thought brought a small smile to her face.

"If we're going around the circle in this direction," said Naiad, gesturing with her claws, "that means you're next, Carnelian."

"All right," she said, drumming her claws on the ground as she thought. The gray oblivion beneath them was more like stone than she'd expected, sending a small shock of pain ricocheting along her nerves. She stopped tapping abruptly, trying not to show how much it had hurt her. Naiad had been doing the same thing earlier and didn't seem the least bit bothered by it; Carnelian would look like a wimp if she so much as muttered _ouch._

 _That's straying into pride and self-pity territory,_ she reminded herself. _Focus on the game._

"I've got one," she said a few minutes later. "Who's most likely to stay angry about something stupid for way longer than necessary?"

"Kestrel, if she's having a bad day," Dune murmured.

"I think that would have to be you, Carnelian," Naiad said, sounding apologetic.

"Dune, for sure!" laughed Asha.

Even though Naiad had said her name, Carnelian's vindictiveness over the last question ebbed as the others laughed at someone other than her. _I guess I shouldn't have taken it so hard. They're not making fun of me because I'm me, they're doing it because it's funny and we all need a laugh here or we'll go crazy._ She shook her head at herself. _Honestly, I really need to lighten up. This isn't the army anymore, so I don't have to be serious all the time. Besides, I don't want to be more like Dune than I have to, right?_ That wasn't very charitable of her, she realized, considering she hadn't had a problem with being serious before she died, so she amended the statement in her head. _We only need one Dune in the group, just like we only need one of me._

The game proceeded. Carnelian tried to suppress her surprise when Dune actually came up with a fairly good idea for his round. "Who's most likely to trip over their own talons?" he asked.

"Oh dear, that's definitely me," Asha said. Then her expression changed and she swatted the SandWing with one brown wing. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she exclaimed.

Dune offered her the first smile that Carnelian had ever seen on his scarred face. "Well, you did make fun of me last round," he rumbled. "What goes around comes around."

They continued for a long time, some rounds more fair than others. By the time Kestrel came around to their side of the lake, Carnelian's sides ached from laughing and the conversation had all but dissolved into gasps for air.

"What's going on?" the older SkyWing asked, coming to stand behind Dune. The SandWing jumped slightly, his barb angling toward Kestrel reflexively before he caught sight of her and relaxed. "I hope you weren't telling ghost stories, because I don't want any of you waking me up in the middle of the night telling me you had bad dreams or you couldn't sleep."

"Chill out, we know you're not our mother," said Carnelian. She saw something change in Kestrel's expression and immediately cursed her lack of tact. She'd forgotten that the rust-colored dragon had been forced to kill one of her own dragonets and died before she could really get to know the other. Referencing maternity in front of her was like throwing a fistful of embers into her face.

"Too right," Kestrel snapped. "You'd spend half your lives being punished if I was."

Carnelian wanted to apologize, but she didn't want to do it in front of the other dragons. She would hate being put on the spot if she were in Kestrel's position. "What do you need?" she asked in a politer tone.

"Someone to go on a scouting party with me," the older SkyWing grumbled, rubbing the side of one leg absently with her scarred palm. "I would ask Hvitur, but he almost sliced my snout off when I tried to wake him up. Considering that I don't plan on losing either of my eyes, I'm not trying again."

"I'll go with you," Dune offered quietly.

"I appreciate it, old friend," Kestrel said, her tone unusually gentle. "But I travel pretty fast and I don't want you to get worn out trying to keep up with me. You need to conserve your strength, in case Burn and her allies come back."

Dune's black eyes flicked to the ground, as though her talons were suddenly more interesting than her face. "You're right," he said reluctantly. Carnelian suddenly felt bad for him.

"I'd offer, but I know I couldn't keep up either," said Asha.

"I'll come," Carnelian said.

Kestrel narrowed her eyes, and for a moment the SkyWing dragonet thought she was about to argue. But then she shrugged. "If you feel up to it," she said, reminding Carnelian that it was only that morning that she was still unconscious, Dune and Asha watching over her prone body.

"Do you need me, too?" Naiad asked.

"I think two of us should be fine," Carnelian hazarded. Kestrel shot her another swift glance, but she ignored it as best as she could. _I know I deserve that._ Naiad met the dragonet's gaze, her blue eyes flickering with understanding.

"That's good," the SeaWing said. "I'm feeling kind of tired."

"If we're going, we should go now," Kestrel said impatiently. "I want to be back before it gets dark." It was still fairly early, but nobody pointed that out.

"Okay," Carnelian said. "Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry there wasn't much plot in this one; I have to write some light parts every once in a while. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway! Speaking of which, if you like this story, please go answer the poll question on my profile. It'll help me decide what I should include more or less of.**

 **Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing. Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry (again) about the wait. I've been busy with school and stuff, but now that some of the most stressful events of the year are out of the way, I'm hoping to be able to write more consistently. Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, read, and supported this story since the last time I updated. Special thanks to everyone who answered the poll question on my profile; if you haven't done that yet and you'd still like to, it'll be up for a while yet.**

 **Sorry about my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

The two SkyWings traveled in silence for a while. Carnelian wanted to say something, but irritation radiated from Kestrel in such strong waves that she felt it better to keep her mouth shut. When the lake started to disappear into the distance, Carnelian began to breathe fire onto the ground, burning a trail behind them. When her lungs ran out of oxygen, Kestrel resumed the trail without a word. The dragonet waited until she had taken a few deep breaths before she took over again.

They continued this pattern for a long time. Whoever wasn't scorching the path into the colorless ground glanced around for any signs of movement. Carnelian's eyes began to hurt if she kept looking in one direction for too long, so she did her best to keep them moving. It all began to seem pointless after a while, however, as no other dragons appeared.

"I know you chose to come with me because you wanted something," Kestrel said at last. "I'm warning you now that I'm not in the mood for any jokes."

Carnelian still found it strange that this was what she'd become known for, when she'd rarely even cracked a smile during her life. "I wasn't planning to make any," she said, pausing her fire-breathing for a moment.

Kestrel snorted out a cloud of smoke. "Good."

Silence descended over them once more. Carnelian resumed the trail, figuring she should wait for Kestrel to make the first move. She didn't want to push the older SkyWing into a conversation if she didn't want to talk.

After a few more minutes of traveling, Kestrel sighed, sounding wearier than Carnelian would have expected her to. The younger dragon glanced at her companion out of the corner of her eye, surprised to see an expression of deep regret on her face. She glanced away as quickly as she could; she knew Kestrel would never allow herself to show such emotion if she knew anyone was watching. Feelings like that were private.

Carnelian stopped to take a breath, but instead of taking over, Kestrel stopped walking and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as though praying for patience. "I can tell you want to say something," she said through clenched teeth. "Spit it out."

Carnelian swallowed awkwardly. "Look," she said quietly, hoping she sounded sincere. "I… I'm sorry for what I said before I left. It was careless and inconsiderate."

Kestrel opened one eye and glared at Carnelian. "I'm not some soft, sensitive RainWing. I can handle a jibe or two, even ones that weren't intentional. You're always telling Asha that being a soldier made you tough. Don't you think it did the same for me?"

Carnelian opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd thought that apologizing would make Kestrel feel better, but now she was starting to reconsider. The older SkyWing sounded almost insulted by her concern.

 _I used to be that way, too,_ Carnelian suddenly realized. _When did that change?_

She paused, completely befuddled. She couldn't pinpoint any specific moment when she'd stopped putting her pride before everything else. All she knew was that she'd once expected herself to be perfect, unbreakable, but somewhere between the moment she had died and now, she'd stopped feeling that way. She'd accepted some of her shortcomings. She'd stopped hating others for noticing her weaknesses. _How long have I been here, a week?_ she wondered incredulously. _How does that undo years of training and careful self-discipline?_

 _Those dragons at Jade Mountain changed faster,_ she reminded herself. _They all became best buddies in the first three days. At least my old ways lasted longer than that._

Then she registered her own words and frowned. _At least?_ Just moments ago, when she'd first noticed them, she'd thought her changes were for the better, but apparently some part of her deep inside still resisted this new way of thinking. The same part that still wanted to spurn all the other dragons' attempts at friendship. The same part that hated herself for needing others. But was that still who she was? Carnelian shook her head, deeply confused. _One thing that hasn't changed… my inability to understand complicated things. Argh. Why does my brain have to be so limited?_

When her thoughts finally cleared enough for her to return her attention to her surroundings, Carnelian realized that thick mist had rolled in around her. Kestrel was little more than a silhouette in the gloom. The older dragon was looking around in confusion.

"Carnelian?" she asked, sounding uncertain. "Where are you?"

"Here," she answered, reaching out toward Kestrel. But her talons closed on empty air. Apparently the other SkyWing was farther away than she seemed.

"What?" Kestrel asked, tilting her head to one side. "I can't hear what you're saying." She turned and took a few steps in the opposite direction. "Where did you go?"

"I didn't go anywhere!" Carnelian said, starting to panic. "You're going the wrong way! Come back!" She tried to run after Kestrel, but instead of getting closer to her companion, she seemed to be getting farther away. Before long, the rust-red figure had disappeared completely.

 _Calm down,_ she told herself, taking a deep breath, but it did little to slow her racing heart. _All you have to do is follow the scorch marks back to camp._ But in her effort to catch up with Kestrel, she'd left the scorch marks behind, and even when she turned and went back the way she'd come, she couldn't find them.

 _I guess this is what Asha was talking about the day we met her. The world changes around you. Marking a trail links bits and pieces of it together, forcing it to stay the same, but when you don't leave anything behind, you give it freedom to change and mess with your head._

Carnelian was now starting to fear that she'd never see the others again. _We shouldn't have split up. I should have stayed at the lake. At the very least, I should have been paying enough attention that I would have noticed the thicker mist settling around us and grabbed Kestrel before it divided us. But it's no use looking for someone to blame,_ she reminded herself. _What's done is done. Now you just have to deal with the present._

From her experience with the darkness, Carnelian knew that this afterworld delighted in uncertainty and anguish. So if she wanted to win, she couldn't let herself feel either. _That's the right way,_ she told herself, picking a random direction. _I'll find something else to work with if I go that way._ She set off in that direction, firmly pushing the nagging voice that told her this was stupid out of her mind. _I_ will _find something,_ she told herself, willing herself to believe it.

To distract herself enough that the realist part of her (which was most of her) couldn't talk her into doubting herself, she began to speculate about what she might find. _It could be one of our old trails. Or it could be Kestrel, and we could figure out what to do together. Or it could be some secret place that can help me solve all the puzzles of this world._

After a few minutes of fruitless wandering, doubt started to prick at the edges of her mind. _I have no doubt,_ Carnelian told herself as firmly as she could. _I have faith._ She wasn't sure those words had ever entered her thoughts before, but they had now and they would stay there. _I believe I will find something. I believe it. I believe it._

She continued this chant as long as possible, drowning out her own skeptical thoughts. She forced herself to keep her head held high, striding briskly as though she were sure of herself. Acting positive made it easier to feel positive. Frowning or dragging her feet would only let the darkness in.

Finally, just as she was starting to think she had completely lost her marbles, the mist parted and something that wasn't gray caught her eye. It was a green dragon, a SeaWing. At first Carnelian thought the stranger was injured; she was lying on the ground with her head down and her eyes closed. But as the SkyWing drew closer, she noticed two things that made her stop short.

The first was that the SeaWing was a dragonet. She couldn't have been much older than Carnelian, since they were about the same size. She was more thickly built, but if Carnelian had to guess, she'd say the other dragon was a bit shorter than her.

The second was that this stranger wasn't lying on the ground in a disheveled heap. On the contrary, she seemed to be _reclining_ , as though she didn't have a care in the world. She was held above the ground by a small ledge, colorless moss peeking out beneath the edges of her talons and wings, looking more comfortable and at ease than Carnelian had ever seen any dragon, much less one in the afterworld.

Carnelian approached carefully, not sure what to expect. This dragon defied all logic. She was dead, but she didn't seem the least bit upset about it. She was surrounded by gloom, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. She was all alone, but she didn't look lost.

As Carnelian came to a stop beside the resting dragon, the SeaWing looked up. Her eyes were sapphire blue, beautiful and strangely mesmerizing. Before Carnelian could work out how to begin a conversation, the other dragon yawned, stretched, and smiled.

"Hello," she said casually, as though they weren't complete strangers to each other.

"Hello," Carnelian replied a bit uncertainly.

"You seem nervous," said the SeaWing. "There's no need to be."

If anyone else had said that, it would have seemed rude, but from this dragon it sounded reassuring. Carnelian blinked and allowed herself to relax a little. _I shouldn't let myself get so riled up. Especially since I don't know enough about this dragon to predict how she'll react. She does seem pretty easygoing, though. Maybe I can avoid a conflict._ She wasn't entirely sure how to do that, but trying to have a civil conversation seemed like the best place to start.

"Oh," she said. "Sorry." _Was that the right thing to say?_ she wondered. Normally she didn't worry about offending other dragons, so she never bothered spending much time improving her social skills. _Don't talk back to your general_ was pretty much the only rule she needed to follow.

The SeaWing shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Your stressing out doesn't bother me. You should try to calm down for your own sake, not mine."

 _Is she being passive aggressive?_ Carnelian wondered. She searched the SeaWing's face for any signs of ill will, but she seemed to genuinely mean what she was saying. _Stop over thinking things, Carnelian,_ the SkyWing told herself. _She's going to say something and you're going to miss it because you're too focused on pointless worries._

"So," the SeaWing said, examining her claws idly. "What brings you here?"

Carnelian wasn't sure whether she could trust a stranger with any information about her companions, so she decided to keep it vague. "I'm looking for someone."

"Someone as in a specific dragon, or just company?" the SeaWing asked.

Carnelian shrugged.

"Well, if you have a moment to spare, I wouldn't mind having someone to talk to," the green dragon said. "It gets boring here after a while."

"How long have you been here?" Carnelian asked, genuinely curious. _Is there a chance that I'll ever learn to be at ease here? Or will I always be looking over my shoulder and getting creeped out by Hvitur's constant reminders that this place is dangerous?_

"A long time," the SeaWing said. "The specifics don't matter." She flashed a smile. "It's not like there's any point in keeping track. What goes on here isn't affected by time."

"Where I came from, everything darkened and lightened like night and day," Carnelian said.

"Time passes here," the other dragon agreed. "It just doesn't change anything."

"New dragons come here as time goes on," Carnelian pointed out. "So it does, in a way."

The SeaWing tilted her head to one side. "You're sharp," she remarked, seeming impressed. "Maybe you could answer some questions I have."

 _Sharp? Me?_ Carnelian would have voiced her incredulity, but she had to admit to herself that she liked the idea of seeming smart. She didn't want to ruin it. "All right," she agreed. "I'll give it a try." _Hopefully it'll be something I can answer._

"Okay," the SeaWing said, smiling. She tapped her front claws together. "Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?"

Carnelian was taken aback. _So it's going to be_ those _kinds of questions. Riddles. Argh, I hate riddles._ They made her brains feel all scrambled, and even worse, they made her feel even more stupid than regular questions did. _I have to try, at least,_ she reminded herself.

She spent a few moments mulling over the question, then frowned. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "You're trying to trick me! A pound is a pound. They weigh the same amount."

The SeaWing laughed. "Very good," she said, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "But that was the easiest one. Here's another: feed me and I live, but give me a drink and I die. What am I?"

 _What? What dies when you give it water? Everything needs water to live._ Carnelian racked her brains. _Think. This one's probably a trick, too. She's still smiling in that secretive, tricky way. Maybe it's not something that's really alive._

Still, she couldn't think of anything. _Water gives life, not takes it away. Maybe she's looking for something that just doesn't like water. But what? A cat? A SandWing?_ This question was starting to frustrate her, but she wasn't going to allow herself to quit. _I'll look like an idiot. I already took long enough to answer the first one._ Against her will, smoke began to fill her nostrils. She tried to push it down. _Stop it,_ she ordered the flame inside her. _Stop burning so much._ But words didn't put out fire.

 _Water does._

The answer came to her like a lightning strike. "It's fire!" she exclaimed. She knew she was getting far too emotionally invested in this, but for once in her life (or death) her mind was working the way it was supposed to. It was hard not to feel giddy.

"Right again," the SeaWing said with a laugh. "You're a good answerer, too. Really into this. I haven't been so amused in ages. One more, and then you can have the title of riddle champion."

Carnelian flexed her claws. "Bring it on."

"I can be warm," the green dragon said. "I can be stolen. I can be sick. I can be broken. What am I?"

Carnelian thought for a few moments. She had a feeling she knew what the answer was, but it was awfully sappy. "A heart?" she guessed, trying not to sound the least bit grossed out.

"That was quick," the SeaWing said. "And I thought that was the hardest one. Not many dragons talk about their feelings. Oh well." She shrugged, then offered Carnelian a brilliant smile. "Congratulations! You're the riddle champion now."

"I've never been a riddle champion before," Carnelian said. "Or a champion of anything, really." She wasn't sure why she was sharing this information with a stranger, but there was something about the SeaWing that invited trust. "So, thanks."

"Thank _you_ for answering my riddles," the SeaWing said. "You have no idea how bored I've been. It's terribly dull sitting here with no one to talk to."

"You can come with me, if you want," Carnelian offered. The words felt strange in her mouth. Normally it was Kestrel or Asha who decided to invite other dragons into their group, but since neither of them was here, it was up to her. "I'm part of a group. A really… interesting group. Speaking of which, I really do need to get back to them. Do you know if there's any way to navigate this place?"

The SeaWing tipped her head to one side, considering the offer. "Yes, I do want to, and yes, there is," she finally said. "At least, if you're looking for a specific dragon." She drummed her claws thoughtfully on the rock beneath her. "Not sure if it works for everyone, though."

"What do you mean?" Carnelian asked.

"I mean that this world has to be willing to cooperate with you," said the green dragon.

Carnelian snorted. "Great."

The SeaWing gave her an amused look. "I take it you've had bad experiences with it?"

The SkyWing thought of the terrible darkness trying to swallow her and the wicked delight in its voice as it tormented her. "That's a bit of an understatement," she said.

"No worries," the other dragon said. "I can help you. This world will listen to me."

 _Why does it like her when it hates everyone else?_ Carnelian wondered. _True, she seems pretty inoffensive, but then again, so does Naiad, and it sent the darkness after her. There must be something special about this dragon. The question is, what?_

"Hello?" the SeaWing said. She waved one wing in front of Carnelian's face. "Earth to…" She paused, rubbing her head with one webbed claw. "Sorry, I've just realized I don't know your name. I never introduced myself, either. How rude of me."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Carnelian said. "I'm not exactly known for my manners, so I'm in no position to judge you. My name's Carnelian."

"Carnelian," the SeaWing repeated. "That's a pretty name. Mine's Orca." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

* * *

 **A/N: I can't remember exactly which website I got the riddles from, but the point is I didn't make them up. All credit goes where it is due. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

"So," Orca said. "Describe one of the dragons you're trying to find."

Since Kestrel was lost and alone right now, Carnelian figured she would be the best dragon to look for. "Um," she said. "Big. Red. SkyWing."

"No. Sorry, I should have clarified," said Orca. "I didn't mean what she looked like. I meant her personality. Her aura, if you'd like to call it that."

"Definitely grumpy," said Carnelian. She frowned, trying to think of other words to describe her friend. "Also sarcastic. She's tough, but she's more likely to hurt you with words than claws. And she's strong enough to do whatever needs to be done, even when other dragons wouldn't be able to."

She glanced at her new companion, unsure whether to go on, but Orca wasn't paying attention to her anymore. She had closed her eyes and was standing perfectly still, clearly focusing intently on something. Carnelian almost held her breath, afraid to disturb her. Thankfully, she didn't have to stay that way for long; it was only a few moments before the SeaWing opened her eyes again and cleared her throat.

"Okay," she said. "Follow me."

And that was that. She offered no more explanation, simply striding off in a seemingly random direction and leaving Carnelian no choice but to hurry after her.

"How do you know we're going the right way?" she asked.

"I just do," said Orca. Noticing Carnelian's uncertainty, she gave her an encouraging smile. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing. I won't get us lost."

 _Trust,_ Carnelian thought. _Right._ Not exactly her strong suit, but she supposed she could do it if she pretended she was back in the army and the SeaWing was her commander. Even though she was a dragonet, Orca seemed so confident that it wasn't too hard to picture her being in charge.

"So," the green dragon said, glancing over her shoulder at Carnelian as they walked. "If this world isn't your biggest fan, how'd you end up with an entire group?"

"What do you mean?" Carnelian asked, taken aback by the question. "Are you saying the world chooses who you run into?"

Orca paused, thinking. "Well, I don't know that for sure, but I think it's a pretty reasonable guess. Don't you? I've only encountered a few dragons here, maybe ten at most, but they've all been… significant, I suppose you could say. Maybe not to everyone, but significant to me."

"Really?" Carnelian asked. "That's odd. Besides one NightWing, I didn't know any of the others before I came here."

"But do they have some kind of connection to you?" Orca prompted. "Some similarities, perhaps? Or characteristics that compliment yours?"

Carnelian fought down a twinge of annoyance. _Why does she have to phrase it like that?_ She understood what the SeaWing was saying, but just barely. _Don't get mad,_ she told herself. _She's only speaking like that because she thinks you're smart. Take it as a compliment._

"No, not really," she said, thinking carefully as she spoke. "But they all knew dragons I know. Or dragons I knew, actually, since I'm dead, too."

Orca gave her an amused glance. "I've never heard anyone joke about being dead before."

"All of us in the group do from time to time," Carnelian said, but she felt pleased by the SeaWing's words anyway. "It's the only way we stay sane."

The green dragon barked a laugh. "I get the feeling you're mostly joking, but if any part of you is being serious, I hope it comforts you to know that the dragon mind is more resilient than you'd think. I've met a lot of dragons who went through terrible things and I've never known anyone who went insane." She paused for a moment. "Well, except one, but he doesn't count. I met him here. Not that being here made him crazy, mind you," she added. "He was already like that before he died. Though wandering aimlessly with no one to talk to for years might have made it worse."

The SkyWing felt a shiver of foreboding go down her spine. Other than Burn and her group, they hadn't met anyone dangerous yet, but this was a sharp reminder that they could at any moment. "How did he go crazy?" she asked, morbidly curious in spite of herself. _And why doesn't he count?_

Orca looked momentarily uncomfortable, but the expression disappeared so quickly that Carnelian couldn't be sure it was ever there in the first place. "That's debatable," the SeaWing said, swishing her tail absentmindedly as she spoke. "But he wasn't an ordinary dragon. So you don't have to worry about that happening to you."

"Who said I was worried about anything?" Carnelian asked, nettled. She wasn't sure if she was annoyed more because her bravery was being called into question or because Orca's words hit closer to home than she would have liked.

Orca grinned. "Okay, maybe you really are losing it already. No one in her right mind wouldn't be worried about the idea of going insane."

"Hey!" Carnelian protested. But Orca's laugh wasn't mean-spirited, so she let it go. "Maybe I have done some questionable things in the past," she conceded. _Mostly since I got here._ "But that doesn't mean I'm crazy. It could just mean that… maybe good judgment isn't my greatest friend and leaves me when I need it the most." _If it was ever with me in the first place._

Orca smiled. "Or maybe some of these so-called 'questionable' decisions will turn out to be good ones in the future. It happens. Sometimes." She shrugged. "I surprise myself."

"Well, it hasn't happened to me yet," Carnelian sighed.

"Don't worry," the SeaWing said again; it seemed to be her favorite phrase."Luck is bound to lean in your favor one of these days. Now just give me a moment to check that we're still going in the right direction. Don't want to get us even more lost than we already are." She stopped walking and closed her sapphire eyes, her tail curling around her legs. Carnelian waited, trying not to jump out of her scales with impatience.

"We're good," Orca said at last, continuing on her way. "Getting close, too. Now might be a good time to describe to me what this friend of yours looks like."

"Well, she's a SkyWing," Carnelian said, pausing to think. "Her scales are red, kind of like mine, but a little darker. Her eyes are this amber-ish orange. Ack, I suck at describing things. Does it really matter? Won't she be the only dragon for miles around?

"Probably," said Orca. "Fair point."

They traveled for a few moments in silence. Then Carnelian spotted a figure emerging from the fog at the horizon. Relief washed through her veins, making her grin like an idiot. "Hey, Kestrel!" she called, speeding up and waving her wings. "Over here! It's me! Before you try to crush me to a pulp or grind my bones into dust, it isn't my fault that we got separated; it was this awful world that did it; I was trying to reach you but it started reversing everything and I–"

She cut herself off abruptly. The figure was crossing the space between them faster than any dragon could run, and as the distance grew smaller, it became horribly clear that this was not Kestrel. The creature was the same color as the SkyWing, but at least twice as large, and though it was the same general shape as a dragon, it had a number of disturbing differences. For starters, it had only pitch black holes where its eyes should have been. It had a wide, flat face instead a snout, which wouldn't have been disturbing in and of itself if it didn't have spikes jutting out of almost every available surface. Then there were the limbs, shorter and thicker than dragon legs and horribly twisted, and the wings, huge but riddled with holes. And the tail. What kind of creature needed a _mace_ on the end of its tail? Especially when it had more than enough pointy things on the rest of it.

"Nope," Carnelian said, skidding to a halt. "You are definitely not who I was looking for." She turned and tried to make a quick escape, only to almost crash into Orca, who didn't seem to be moving for some reason. "What are you waiting for?" she hissed. "Go, go, go!"

"Not your best idea," Orca replied, not taking her eyes off the creature. "We've already seen that it moves a lot faster than we do. Trying to run away will only make us easier targets."

"What do you suggest, then?" Carnelian demanded, too panicked to care about looking smart anymore. "I may not have any mythical, made-up NightWing powers to help me see the future, but I don't need them to tell that fighting this thing probably wouldn't go well for us."

"It doesn't have eyes," Orca whispered, grabbing Carnelian's wrist with webbed talons. Her scales were surprisingly cold. "Maybe it can't see. Don't move and don't say anything."

Carnelian held her breath. The hideous creature paused, sniffing the air. It lowered its head and moved it slowly from side to side, making a rumbling sound that could have been a growl.

 _What do we do?_ she mouthed, enunciating as slowly and clearly as her jittery nerves allowed.

 _Wait,_ was all Orca said in reply.

The SkyWing's heart was pounding so loudly she was sure the monster would be able to hear it, but its ears didn't move. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ she cursed herself. _Volunteering to come with Kestrel was the last dumb mistake I'll ever make. Not because I'll actually_ learn _from my experiences, but because I'm about to die again, even though I'm_ already dead. _That has to be some sort of record. Surely no one else has such supremely bad luck as to find a way to die in the afterworld._

 _Unless this beast is the reason there aren't more dragons here._

She really hoped that wasn't the case.

Just as she was simultaneously preparing to meet her end and starting to hope that the creature had given up on them, Carnelian heard a familiar hissing noise. _Fire._ She grabbed Orca and leaped out of the way as fast as she could, tucking and rolling across the hard gray ground as she'd been trained to do. But the heat didn't come from behind them; it came from above. As she registered this, a high-pitched shriek of pain drew her attention back to the beast.

Bright red burns were starting to form on one side of its leathery head. It was shaking itself rapidly, dislodging embers from the gaps in its spikes. A dragon stood on the other side of it, her head raised and her jaws open in a roar of defiance.

"Kestrel!"

Never in her life (or death) had Carnelian ever been so happy to see someone. She watched in a mixture of giddiness and disbelief as the older SkyWing rushed at the monster, slashing its massive wrists with wickedly sharp talons. It let out another shriek and opened its mouth, sending out a blast of what looked like molten rocks, but Kestrel was already out of its reach.

"What are you waiting for?" Kestrel bellowed suddenly, snapping Carnelian back into the moment. "Help me fight this thing!" She broke off, concentrating on dodging a blow from one of the creature's gnarled claws. "I'm not going to risk my hide while you just sit there and watch!"

"Right," Carnelian said guiltily. "Coming!" She threw herself at the monster's tail, hoping that there was a sensitive spot at the end of it like there was on every dragon's. It thrashed from side to side as she clamped down on it with her talons and sunk her teeth into the spot right above the mace.

The creature's responding scream filled her with a flood of satisfaction. She was not feeling quite so satisfied a moment later when it whirled around and smacked her off, sending her tumbling painfully across the rocky ground.

 _Ow, ow, ow._ Why did the world decide that _now_ was the perfect time to make itself more life-like? _Because it hates me, probably._

Carnelian struggled to her feet, pausing for a moment to figure out what was going on. Kestrel was spitting blasts of fire at the creature's face to keep it from attacking while Orca targeted its weak points. The SeaWing was steadily wearing down its strength with wounds to its belly and throat, but she couldn't get a direct hit and it didn't seem to be bleeding as much as a dragon would have.

"What is this monstrosity?" Carnelian yelled to the others as she rejoined the fray.

"How do you expect me to know?" Kestrel snorted. "Stop asking questions while I'm trying to fight!" She aimed another jet of flame at the beast's eye sockets, making it flinch back.

Whatever it was, it was clearly at least partially fireproof. Any normal creature would have been burned to a crisp by now. So Carnelian didn't bother with flames; instead, she took to the sky.

It still felt weird to fly in such a heavy atmosphere, but she could manage it. She sped around the creature's head, digging her talons into its ears and pulling until she'd done substantial damage. Just as it raised a wing to swat her, she kicked off its face and swooped away. Unfortunately, she wasn't as fast as she would have liked to believe, and it snapped its teeth shut on the end of her tail just before she could get out of reach.

"Carnelian!" Kestrel roared, but before she could do anything, the monster let out a chilling wail. Carnelian, suspended in the air above its upturned face as she tried to get away without ripping her own tail off, couldn't see what was happening below the beast, but she guessed it was something significant. The strength seemed to leave its body; slowly, as though it were falling asleep, the muscles in its jaw relaxed and it released Carnelian. Then its legs crumpled and it fell to the ground, dead.

"What… what just happened?" Carnelian asked, stunned. She lowered herself to the ground, landing beside Kestrel and eyeing the monster warily. "Is it really dead?" She kind of wanted to poke it to see if it moved, but she had a feeling that would only incense it if it was, in fact, still alive.

Orca appeared from around the other side of the monster, wiping her talons as best she could on the ground. "Sure is," she said. "You can double check if you want, but I think trying to find a pulse on this thing would be more trouble than it's worth. Its skin is so thick."

"Did you kill it?" Carnelian asked, astonished.

Orca smiled. "It wasn't hard. All I had to do was get the right spot. Which actually might have been pretty difficult if it hadn't exposed its throat when it was holding onto your tail. So really, it's all thanks to you that it's dead."

Everyone stared at the huge red corpse for a few moments, digesting what had just happened.

"All right," Carnelian said. "Now that we are no longer in the middle of a fight, I think I'm justified in asking again: what is that thing and where did it come from?"

"My guess is that it wasn't ever alive," Orca said, regarding the monster's dead body with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Someone would have noticed if a thing like that lived in Pyrrhia, and even if it went extinct a long time ago, it would have been mentioned in a legend or something. I think it's more likely that this world created it as some sort of test."

Kestrel narrowed her eyes at the SeaWing. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Her name is Orca," Carnelian interjected. "She helped me find you."

"Hey, you're right, we did find that friend of yours after all," Orca said, seeming pleased. "I got a little distracted by that monster, so I didn't really register it until now. Good to know I didn't accidentally lead us into mortal peril for nothing."

Kestrel glanced from one of them to the other, then sighed. "All right, if Carnelian's willing to team up with you, I suppose I'll be, too. I trust her judgment. But answer this question: how do you know so much about this place?"

Orca shrugged. "Much of it's guesswork. But I have been here for quite a while, so my guesses are rather educated, if I do say so myself."

"How long is 'quite a while'?" Kestrel asked. "Some of our dragons have been here for seven years, and even they don't have a clue what's going on."

Orca paused, closing her eyes for a moment. Carnelian wondered what she was doing. Calculating? Deciding whether to tell them or not? Trying to remember? If she'd really been here for that long, maybe she didn't remember much about her life. That would be really sad, even for Carnelian, who rarely felt anything like sympathy. This world kept them in existence, but it was so dull and empty compared to the world of the living. Losing the old memories from that colorful, beautiful world would be like losing a friend.

"Eight years," Orca said, opening her eyes again.

Kestrel frowned. "Something doesn't seem to add up here," she growled.

"Relax," the SeaWing said. "I'm not lying. Neither are your friends. Different things happen to different dragons, even if they're happening at the same time. It's totally possible that I just happened to run into the interesting things here while everyone else stumbled around in the emptiness."

 _She's definitely someone special,_ Carnelian thought. _But the question still remains: who?_

Kestrel still didn't look satisfied, but she gave up that line of questioning and switched to another topic. "You said that monster might have been a test," she said, nodding at the creature's corpse. "What kind of test did you mean?"

"I'm sure you've figured this out by now, since Carnelian didn't seem surprised when I mentioned it, but this world has its own personality," Orca said. "I can't speak for it, but I think I know it well enough to guess that it wants to know how much it should mess around with you and how much it should actually help you."

"Why would it help us at all?" Carnelian snorted. "It already hates us."

Orca turned to look at her. Those sapphire blue eyes seemed to pierce through Carnelian's scales, searching for something underneath. The SkyWing dragonet shivered involuntarily.

"That's the thing," Orca said after a long pause. "I don't think it does."

There were a million questions Carnelian wanted to ask in response. _How do you know?_ was the first one that came to mind, but it was quickly shoved aside by _What could it possibly like about me?_ and _Can you really tell that much about me just by looking?._ But before she could ask any of them, Orca smiled, breaking the serious mood of the moment. Now asking those questions would make her seem like a desperate fool (which, quite frankly, she was, but she didn't need anyone else knowing that), so she decided to let them go unvoiced.

Carnelian cleared her throat, trying to get a grip on herself. "Okay," she said. "Well, just in case of the unlikely event that that monster rises from the dead and wants revenge, we should get moving. Orca, could you help us find our way back to the group?"

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I noticed that a lot of people who answered my poll said they liked action in a story, so I tried to put a bit more of that in this chapter. I don't usually write a lot of action, so I'm not confident in my abilities to do so. Please let me know what you thought of my second attempt at a battle scene/how I can improve.**

 **Suggestions and constructive criticism in general would be much appreciated. I know where I want this story to go, but I'm running out of things for our group to do until I get there. Is all the character interaction and dialogue and mystery getting boring? Those are the things I enjoy reading the most, so I think I have a tendency to put too much of them in my own writing. Please let me know what you think!**

 **Once again, all feedback, views, favorites, and follows are welcome and very much appreciated. Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed this story since the last chapter. I especially appreciate all the feedback I got last time; it really made my day and helped me figure out a bit better what you guys like about this story and what I can improve.**

 **Hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Thankfully, the journey to find the others was not as eventful as the one to find Kestrel had been, and they made it back to the lake unscathed. Unfortunately, by that point Carnelian's tail had begun to bleed more heavily, and she was cursing frequently under her breath. "Great moons in the sky," she hissed. "Next time we run into a dangerous, crocodile-spawn creature like that, remind me to stay far away from its blasted teeth."

Kestrel barked a laugh. "I'm hoping there won't be a next time," she said. "But I have to admit hearing you talk like this is quite amusing. Who would have guessed your language could get so colorful?"

"I grew up in the army," Carnelian said through clenched teeth. "What kind of vocabulary would you expect me to learn?"

"Scientific terms and poetic phrases," Orca joked, seeming as amused as Kestrel.

The older SkyWing snorted. "I can't imagine Carnelian spouting poetry," she said. "Or any SkyWing, really. We aren't exactly a lyrical tribe."

"Some SeaWings are poets and writers," Orca mused. "But those were never my talents."

For some reason she couldn't quite explain, Carnelian wanted to ask her what her real talents were, but before she could, the others in the group noticed their return and hurried over to greet them. Asha and Hvitur reached them first, Dune and Naiad trailing more slowly behind.

"You found someone," Asha observed, her dark eyes shining with delight.

"That's good news," Hvitur agreed.

Orca smiled at them and waved, clearly comfortable among a crowd. _Does anything faze her?_ Carnelian wondered, watching as Asha clasped the SeaWing's webbed talons in her own and shook them firmly in greeting. Hvitur scrutinized the green dragon closely, and all the while her smile didn't waver in the slightest. _I guess not._

Dune hobbled up to join them. "What's your name?" he grunted.

"Orca," the SeaWing answered, dipping her head and fanning the edges of her wings out in a slight bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Naiad, who had been walking alongside the SandWing in case she needed to steady him, suddenly jerked back. Her pale eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in barely suppressed anger. "You," she growled, the sound a sharp contrast to her normally calm voice. "What are you doing here? You don't belong in a group of peaceful dragons like this."

Carnelian frowned, feeling as though she were missing something. "Hold on," she interrupted. "Are you talking to Orca?" She glanced at the green dragonet, whose smile was still plastered on her face. Suddenly, a cold feeling began to form in the pit of the SkyWing's stomach. "What's going on, Naiad?" she demanded. "Do you know her?"

"Every dragon in the SeaWing tribe knows her," Naiad hissed. "She was Queen Coral's daughter. She challenged her for the throne the moment she was seven years old and very nearly won."

Carnelian whipped her head around to stare at Orca. "Did you really?" she asked, shocked. _She can't have. She seemed so calm and harmless._ Half of her expected the other dragonet to deny it, but the smile on Orca's face slowly died away and she said nothing.

Carnelian remembered their fight against the beast, how Orca had strategically aimed her attacks at the monster's weak points and landed the finishing blow with power and precision. As a trained soldier in the army herself, it hadn't occurred to her to wonder where the SeaWing picked up those kinds of skills.

Now she knew.

"Maybe you should go," Dune said gruffly.

"I don't think she should stay here," Hvitur agreed, turning to address the other members of the group instead of Orca. "We know that she's tried to kill in cold blood before, even if she didn't succeed. Since we have no knowledge whatsoever on what type of dragon she is beyond that, I don't think it's safe to trust her."

"I don't know," Asha said, looking troubled. "We all did things we regretted in the war before we joined the Talons of Peace. Is it really right to judge her on that one action?"

"But our wrong actions were out of loyalty to our tribes," Hvitur argued. "She, on the other talon, was acting out of ambition. She wanted to be queen so badly that she tried to kill _her own mother._ When she was still a dragonet, no less. That kind of ruthlessness is dangerous."

Carnelian watched them argue, stunned at how quickly everything had changed. One moment they'd been welcoming, the next they were turning Orca away. She'd never seen them do that before, and it was startling how much it bothered her. _They all seemed so… nice. I never expected that they could act like this._

Not that it wasn't justified. Carnelian had to admit that she couldn't look at Orca the same way either, but she'd expected them, at least, to give everyone a chance. And the reason why the other dragon suddenly seemed like someone else wasn't because she'd tried to kill her queen. It was more that Carnelian had completely underestimated the green SeaWing.

 _I've killed before in battle, and I never regretted it. If that was the first thing they knew about me, would they have rejected me, too? It isn't really fair that they're judging her right away for this. If Naiad hadn't said anything, they wouldn't have known anything about Orca and they wouldn't be looking at her with such contempt. They would have given her a chance and might have even liked her._

It all seemed so highly unfair that Carnelian had to say something. "Um, guys?" she interrupted. "Doesn't it seem worth mentioning that she tried to kill her queen only because she had something to gain from it? What could she possibly gain from hurting us? Plus, every dragon who's ever become queen did that by killing the previous ruler. And yet, we still follow them. That doesn't make them bad dragons. And it doesn't make them dangerous to be around, either."

"That's true," Asha said, always an optimist.

"She didn't have to challenge at such a young age, though," Hvitur said doubtfully.

"I promise you, I'm well aware that was the biggest mistake I ever made," Orca said. "I was young and foolish when I challenged my mother. I won't be doing anything like that again."

"You haven't exactly aged since then," Kestrel observed, smoke curling out of her nostrils. "Are you sure you aren't still young and foolish?"

Orca smiled wryly. "Maybe I'm still young, but definitely not foolish. I learn from my mistakes."

Carnelian glanced around at the others, trying to gauge their reactions. Hvitur still looked suspicious, but she supposed that was to be expected from the overly-cautious IceWing. Asha seemed to be softening; she offered the SeaWing a slight smile when she looked in her direction. Kestrel's expression was completely unreadable, as was Dune's. Naiad's jaw was clenched, but it was difficult to tell whether she was angry, nervous, or both.

"I say we vote," Kestrel declared at last, breaking the silence. "Who's in favor of giving this SeaWing dragonet a chance?"

Carnelian raised one claw and Asha followed suit. Dune, Naiad, and Hvitur exchanged uneasy glances. After another moment or two of tense silence, Kestrel unexpectedly lifted one claw.

"You quite possibly saved our lives," she said, nodding to Orca. "I haven't forgotten that."

"When?" Hvitur asked, clearly startled. "You didn't mention anything like that before."

"Oh, there was this monster," Carnelian said, equally startled by the fact that she'd almost forgotten their encounter already. "It showed up and attacked us, but Orca managed to kill it."

"What kind of monster?" Naiad asked, sounding distressed.

"It was horrible," Carnelian said, warming to the subject. "Huge and spiky and ugly. I've never seen anything like it before."

"And hopefully we'll never see anything like it again," Kestrel said. "Still, there's safety in numbers, and Orca's already proven her usefulness. And she's also earned the right to join us, if that's what she wants," she added.

Dune sat back on his haunches for balance and lifted his remaining front claws. "If it's true that you saved Kestrel and Carnelian's lives," he said quietly, "then we are in your debt, Orca. All debts should be repaid."

 _Wow, he put my name in there, not just Kestrel's,_ Carnelian thought, somewhat impressed. _Is it possible he doesn't actually hate me?_

Hvitur sighed. "I guess I'll have to reconsider. If she wants to join us, I suppose Orca's earned a chance." He turned to address the SeaWing directly. "Forgive me for being so mistrusting, but someone has to look out for the welfare of this group."

"Hey!" Carnelian protested. "Are you saying the rest of us are irresponsible?"

"Maybe a little," the IceWing said with the ghost of a smile on his face.

Naiad shook her head, seeming troubled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't–" She broke off, gills fluttering in distress. Then she turned and hurried away along the shore of the lake.

Kestrel sighed. "That went well," she said bitterly.

Carnelian felt a pang of guilt. She'd been the one to invite Orca to join them; it was her fault that the group was now divided. At the same time, she felt she'd done the right thing in standing up for the green dragonet. She just wished it hadn't upset the others.

"I'll go after her," she said, speaking at the same time as Asha. The MudWing stopped and gave her a surprised look.

"Or, you could go," she said, but Asha was already shaking her head.

"You should do it," the swamp dragon said. "I think you know her better than I do. She'd be more likely to listen to you than to me."

"O-okay," Carnelian agreed, taken aback. She set off after Naiad, walking past Orca as she went. The other dragonet glanced at her, but said nothing. Still, she could feel that sapphire gaze on her back as she went, and it made her scales tingle in a way that was odd, but not unpleasant.

She shook off all thoughts of Orca as she approached Naiad, who was sitting by the water with her talons clenched. "Hey," she said, by way of greeting. "Are you all right?"

The dark blue SeaWing looked up and sighed. "No," she said. "But there really isn't any reason I shouldn't be."

Carnelian tilted her head to one side, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Naiad drew long, jagged lines in the mud with her talons. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. I mean… it's not like Coral was really a good queen. She was merciless to dragons who failed her, and half the decisions she made were based on what Blister wanted her to do. She put that SandWing's wishes before her own tribe's sometimes. So maybe Orca would have made a better queen, and maybe she challenged Coral because she knew that. But…"

Unsure where this was going, Carnelian remained silent, waiting for her to finish.

"But it still really bothers me," Naiad confessed. "No one deserves to be killed, regardless of what kind of dragon they are. I can understand killing in battle, but in cold blood?"

Carnelian couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She hadn't ever murdered anyone, but she didn't think it was as unimaginable as Naiad seemed to consider it. Dragons killed to become queen all the time. It was normal. If everyone agreed that it was a part of royal life, didn't that mean it was okay?

"And I definitely can't understand murdering _your own family_ ," Naiad said. "I… I think that's the part that really gets to me most of all. You know I have a son, don't you? He was only two years old when I died." She stared out over the water. "He must be a lot older now. But probably not much older than you or Orca. I can't help but think, _what if I was queen and Riptide was my daughter instead of my son?_ Would he have been willing to do that? Kill me just to take my place? Aren't the bonds of family supposed to be stronger than that?"

"I don't know," Carnelian admitted. "I was never close to my family. My mother raised me alone and sent me off to the army to get stronger when I was three years old. She said that was the only thing I would be good at, and she was probably right. She believed it was her duty to take care of me until I could take care of myself, but she was never very nice. That's just not how SkyWings are."

Naiad glanced at her. "I can't imagine being so callous to my own dragonet," she said. "I loved Riptide more than the ocean, more than even life itself. I still do. I… I'd like to believe that he cared about me just as much. That the bond between a mother and her dragonet goes both ways. But then I look at Orca, and what she almost did to her mother… and I can't help but doubt."

Carnelian wasn't sure what to say. _I'm sure Riptide did love you,_ seemed comforting, but she also didn't know Riptide enough to say that and mean it. _You're not queen and you never were, so it doesn't really matter,_ was definitely insensitive. She briefly cursed the complexity of social etiquette before deciding on a more neutral statement. "Every dragon is different," she ventured. "Orca may have been willing to challenge her mother, but that doesn't mean every dragonet would be. And who knows? Maybe Coral was a terrible mother. From what you've told me, you were a good one. So I'm sure that would've meant something to Riptide."

Naiad glanced in her direction, small furrows appearing between her brows. "Hm."

"Sorry," Carnelian said, shrugging helplessly. "I know I'm terrible at this."

The SeaWing surprised her by laughing. "Actually, you're not," she said. "That was… different than most comforting speeches would be, but it was effective. You were being genuine. Dragons mean well when say the typical comforting things, but it usually comes out sounding empty. What you said didn't feel like that."

"Oh," Carnelian said, blinking. "Thanks?"

"And… believe it or not, you're actually a very good listener. You don't interrupt me or seem shocked or give me pitying looks. You just… listen." Naiad looked away, swallowing hard. "And sometimes that's all a dragon needs."

Carnelian was stunned speechless. _How do these dragons look at me and see something totally different than what I see? I'm awkward and dumb, the kind of dragon who expresses herself better with her claws than her words. But they see a jokester, a loyal fighter, and someone who they can be real with. Everything I hate about myself, they don't notice, and everything I don't notice, they appreciate. What is this?_

 _Is it possible that I can actually be both what I see and what they see?_

Naiad took a deep breath, then let it out, blowing away all their tangled emotions and complicated thoughts to leave them only with the present. "All right," she said. "I'll try to give Orca a chance. Partially for her, but also partially for you. And for myself, if that makes any sense." She shook her head, then turned to face Carnelian again. "Thank you," she said, meeting the SkyWing's eyes with her own. "Really. I know you don't think you did much, but you helped a lot."

It was hard for Carnelian to believe that, but she tried. "You're welcome," she said. "Anytime."

Naiad closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she seemed steadier than she had before. "Come on," she said. "We should head back to the group. I need to give Orca better welcome."

She set off on her own. Carnelian waited a little while before following her. She wanted to give Naiad some space, and give herself a moment to collect her thoughts. All she'd meant to do was convince the SeaWing to accept Orca, but she'd somehow gotten herself tangled in a bunch of complicated feelings and ideas. She didn't have enough time to sort them out right now, so she stored them carefully away. _At least I'll have plenty to think about during my guard shift tonight._

As she rejoined the group, she noticed Hvitur beckoning her with one silvery wing. "Carnelian," he called. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure," she said, following him a few yards away from the rest of the group. Quite honestly, she was puzzled by this request; she couldn't remember ever having a one-on-one conversation with the IceWing before and wasn't sure why he would want to have one now.

Fortunately, he didn't take long to get to the point. "Look," he said. "I know you trust Orca, and we've all agreed to give her a chance. But… would you do me a favor and keep an eye on her? There's a fine line between giving someone a chance to prove themselves and giving them a chance to stab you in the back. And while I don't think Orca would do anything to hurt us, you can never be too careful."

Carnelian wanted to argue, but she could see Hvitur's point. "All right," she said. "But define 'keep an eye on her'. And why can't you do it yourself?"

"You don't have to watch her every second of the day," the IceWing said, "but listen to what she says and make note of what she does. If you notice anything odd, don't dismiss it. And I'm asking you to do it because I think you'd be better at it. You're more likely to have reasons to communicate with her, since you're around the same age and you're the one of the dragons who brought her into the group. And I don't want her to know you're doing this, because then she might start to think we'll never trust her and that makes dragons less willing to keep trying to be trustworthy."

"Just to be clear," Carnelian said, "you are going to trust her eventually, right? You're not going to ask me to keep spying on her forever?"

"It's not _spying_ ," Hvitur insisted. "It's just picking up the clues she gives us. Like I said, I'm not asking you to follow her around or eavesdrop on any conversations. Just stay alert."

The more Carnelian thought about it, the more she felt uncomfortable. What if Orca figured out what they were doing? Would that ruin their friendship? The question was an unfamiliar worry, but it was there in her mind nonetheless. It was the first time the SkyWing could remember wanting a relationship with another dragon.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

Hvitur sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that the most important thing to me is keeping this group safe. I'll do whatever it takes to do that." He glanced at Carnelian. "You understand, don't you?"

She was surprised to find that she did. She'd never thought about it the same way, but she supposed her eagerness to use her warrior skills to defend the group was the same as his need to keep them from making any reckless mistakes. They were both trying to protect the others in their own way.

 _Odd,_ she thought. _I never thought I'd have anything in common with an IceWing. And I never thought I'd ever want to protect anyone._ She couldn't help but wonder if this was how MudWings felt.

"Please," Hvitur said. _Wow, an IceWing actually asking for something,_ Carnelian thought. _And not looking angry or reluctant about it. This must be a first._ "It'll only be for a few days, I promise."

"All right," Carnelian agreed. "I'll do it."

He gave her a smile that was surprisingly sweet. "Thank you."

 _Doing things for other dragons is strange,_ she thought as the IceWing left to rejoin the group. _I actually feel needed. Well, that part's not really news to me; I always thought that would be nice. But I never thought about how good it would feel to be thanked._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I know I'm constantly saying this, but I've been really busy and haven't had much of a chance to work on this story. Hopefully it's worth the wait.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

"So," Naiad began as Carnelian rejoined the group. "Am I really the only one who's still concerned about this monster you mentioned?"

"Well, it is dead," Carnelian offered. "If that's any consolation."

The blue SeaWing didn't look particularly reassured. "But there might be more of them," she said. "Can you tell us exactly what happened? If we encounter another one, it would be better for us all to be prepared."

Both Orca and Kestrel looked at Carnelian. Figuring that was her cue to speak, the young SkyWing launched into a detailed description of what the monster looked like and how it behaved. "So, it was basically an extra-powerful, extra-fast dragon with better defenses and more dangerous weapons," she concluded. "But really ugly."

Orca smothered a laugh. "Good to know there's one department it doesn't outshine us in."

Carnelian tried not to smile, but couldn't quite hold it in. "Well, that is a plus."

Hvitur glanced at Orca, seeming indecisive for a moment. Apparently his need for information won out over his mistrust of her because he asked, "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"No," the SeaWing dragonet said. "But like I told Carnelian earlier, I do have a guess about where it came from. I think this world sent it to test us."

"And why would it do that?" Hvitur asked, tilting his head to one side.

Orca shrugged. "It's fickle. Even if it was toying with you for its own amusement before, it might consider helping you now. It does whatever it feels like doing, even if that contradicts something else it did earlier. But it'll make you earn its help, because that's a lot more interesting than just being nice."

"How do you know all this?" the IceWing asked warily.

"It's difficult to explain," Orca said, seeming either unaware of or untroubled by Hvitur's apprehension. "It probably won't make a lot of sense to you."

"Try," Carnelian said. "I'm curious."

The other dragonet turned to face her, apparently under the rather ironic assumption that she would grasp the concept more easily. "Well," she began, seeming to think about it as she spoke, "it's like we have this… link, I suppose you could say. It's almost like a little part of this world is sitting in the back of my mind. When I direct my thoughts toward it, it sometimes replies." Seeing the expression on Carnelian's face, she offered an apologetic smile. "Weird, I know."

"That's beyond weird," Carnelian said, scrunching her eyes shut as she tried to process what the SeaWing had just told her. "That's a whole extra level of mind-blowing."

"I think I understand it," Hvitur said. _Of course he does,_ Carnelian thought. "I just don't understand why you would have that connection when no one else does. It's not something you can ignore, right? We'd notice if we had it?"

"I'm not sure," Orca said. "I don't really remember much about my early days here, but it took me a while to figure out anything about this place. I didn't know that the world was alive or that it had a personality. So I don't think I had the connection from the beginning. If I did, I didn't notice it. And even now that I know about it, I'm only really aware of it when we're actually conversing."

"So we could all have it and just not realize?" Carnelian asked eagerly. _I have to try that out._ She didn't know where she was supposed to be directing her thoughts, so she just made sure to enunciate clearly (if that was even possible to do in your mind). _Hey crocodile-guts,_ she thought. _Orca said you might not actually hate me. Is that true?_

She waited enthusiastically for a reply. For a while, there was nothing. Then she heard something, starting out soft and then growing steadily louder.

"Is it laughing at me?" she asked Orca.

"No, that's the rest of us," Kestrel barked.

Carnelian whirled around in a circle, taking in all of her friends. Asha was giggling loudly, while Dune rumbled softly with chuckles and Naiad and Hvitur both looked like they were trying (and failing) not to burst out laughing. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," Asha said, fighting to get her emotions under control. "It's just… your expression! It was like you were waiting for presents on your hatching-day."

"I've never seen you look that excited," Kestrel chuckled.

"I wasn't _excited_ ," Carnelian protested, thoroughly embarrassed. "Three moons, this place hates me. Why would I want to talk to it?"

 _Because it would have been cool,_ her traitorous thoughts whispered.

 _Shut up,_ she told them.

"I don't know," Kestrel snorted. "You tell me."

"Why is let's-all-make-fun-of-Carnelian-time starting to feel so familiar?" the SkyWing dragonet sighed. "Can't we pick on someone else for a change?"

"Back to what we were discussing earlier," Hvitur interrupted, saving her from any further awkwardness with a topic-change. "You think this world wants to test us? Do you think it'll actually help us figure out what we're supposed to do here if we pass the test?"

"Possibly," Orca said. "If it feels like it."

"It better feel like it," Carnelian grumbled. "That fight can't have been for nothing."

"We still don't have any new answers," Kestrel said. "Maybe that means we aren't finished with the test yet."

"My thoughts exactly," Hvitur agreed. "We'd better be ready for more challenges in the future. Just in case we encounter another monster like the one you fought, we should come up with something to call it, so we all know what we're talking about."

"Isn't 'monster' sufficient?" Carnelian asked.

"Not if we run into another kind of monster," Hvitur pointed out.

They all sat back to think about it. A number of different names passed through Carnelian's mind; out of all of the ones she thought of, _Spikey-Face_ and _Big-And-Ugly_ were her favorites. She was debating which one to suggest when another dragon spoke up.

"Kelekona," Dune suggested.

"Huh," said Asha, tilting her head to one side in surprised interest. "That sounds pretty. Where did you get it from?"

"It was in a scroll I read once," the SandWing explained. "A legend about how the scavengers lived before the Scorching, when they were supposedly as intelligent and organized as dragons. Kelekona was one of their words for our kind."

"Then why would you use it for that thing?" Carnelian asked, wrinkling her snout. "It's definitely not a dragon."

"It did look sort of like one," Orca mused. "Close enough that there might be something poetic about giving it a name that was used to describe us. And in a way, we are like monsters to scavengers, so that could plausibly be another meaning of the word."

Hvitur regarded her with something like respect, as though some part of him couldn't help but be impressed by her insight. "That is quite clever."

She shrugged modestly. "It was his idea, not mine," she reminded him, indicating Dune with a flick of one wing. "But I appreciate your sentiment nonetheless."

"So we're all in agreement?" Kestrel asked. "Kelekona is a good name for the beast?"

Everyone voted in favor.

"All right," Kestrel said, seeming to take on the role of self-appointed leader for the time being. "If there's nothing else left to discuss, I say we ought to hit the hay early. We don't know if or when Burn and her pack of worms will be coming back, so we want to be well-rested just in case."

"Hold on," Carnelian interrupted before everyone could disperse. Figuring that the IceWing would be most likely to know the answer to her question, she directed it toward him. "Hvitur, if that monster was able to die, do you think that means we can die here, too?"

The silver dragon looked troubled, furrows appearing between his eyebrows as he frowned. "If that monster was never alive in the first place, I'm not sure we can safely assume that the same thing would happen to us. But I think that possibility looks a lot more likely now than it did before."

"So don't be reckless," Kestrel said, shooting Carnelian a pointed look. "But don't panic about it either, because fear will cloud your mind and make you useless."

Naiad took a deep breath. She definitely looked a little paler than usual, but her talons were steady enough that Carnelian figured she would be all right. Asha cast her a worried glance, but the SeaWing shook her head ever so slightly. _She doesn't want comfort,_ Carnelian thought. _Maybe she's worried about looking weak._ As she studied Naiad more closely, another thought occurred to her. _Or maybe she just wants to learn to be strong on her own._

"If this meeting is dismissed, I think I'll follow your advice, Kestrel," said Dune, turning and hobbling a short distance away. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me if you need anything."

"Come on," Naiad said, approaching Asha and nudging the MudWing gently. "Let's wash the mud off that wound and take a look at it. If it's healing nicely, we can put a fresh coat on."

"Thanks," Asha said gratefully, following the SeaWing away along the shore.

Hvitur met Carnelian's gaze for a moment, silently reminding her of their earlier discussion. Then he turned his attention to Kestrel. "We should work out a watch schedule," he said. "That way no one ends up with more than their fair share and everyone gets a proper amount of rest."

"You always have to be so organized," Kestrel groused. "This isn't the army anymore. Just wake up whoever seems least likely to claw your snout off. It's as simple as that."

"Schedules aren't that complicated," Hvitur began to argue. Carnelian rolled her eyes and moved toward the water's edge, eager to relieve the sharp pain in her tail left over from the kelekona's bite. She dipped the injured area into the lake, wincing.

"That looks pretty bad," Orca remarked, coming up beside her.

Carnelian withdrew her tail from the water, examining it gingerly. The wound was a complete mess, bleeding more heavily than she'd expected it to. "It wasn't this bad before," she said, somewhat alarmed. _How did it get so much worse? And how didn't I notice it?_

"Relax," Orca said, peering more closely at the damaged section. "Hold it up a little off the ground. The blood will rush toward it if you keep it so low. And it's probably been scraping on the ground while you were walking. Just give the wound a chance to close."

"Okay," Carnelian said, trying not to sound as tense as she felt.

"And distract yourself," the SeaWing added. "Stressing isn't going to help you."

"I don't know what else to think about, though."

Orca gazed around, probably searching for a discussion topic, and suddenly stood up a little straighter. "Did you see that?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"No, I didn't see anything," Carnelian said, then narrowed her eyes as suspicion set in. _This is the same dragon who gave me a trick question for a riddle. She might be trying to pull another trick on me._ "Are you sure you aren't pulling my tail?"

"No, I'm positive I saw movement in the water," Orca said.

The SkyWing turned, her curiosity getting the better of her. She squinted out over the lake, searching for any signs of movement, but nothing happened.

"I definitely saw something before," Orca said, shrugging. "Maybe it'll happen again later."

"If it was another monster in there, we don't want to see it move again," Carnelian argued, feeling a shudder go down her spine. "I still haven't gotten over the first one yet."

"If there really was something in there, it wasn't big enough to be a monster," the green dragonet assured her. "It was more of a minor disturbance than anything else. Like this." She touched the water lightly with a few talons and withdrew them quickly, leaving only a few ripples behind.

Carnelian opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get any words out, she felt a strange yet familiar sensation on her back. It took her several moments of stupidly standing there and blinking to identify it as a gentle breeze.

"Did you feel that?" she asked.

Orca smiled. "Yes I did." She turned to face the lake and pointed to the small waves the wind had created on the normally smooth surface. "I think that's what I saw a moment ago."

"The interesting stuff in this world just follows you around, doesn't it?" Carnelian asked, tilting her head to one side. "This is the first breeze I've felt here."

"You were the one who found the lake, not me," Orca pointed out. She tapped the ground absentmindedly with her claws as she thought about it. "Maybe the more dragons you have, the more this world begins to resemble the real one."

Carnelian could almost feel the gears turning in her mind as everything clicked together. "That would actually make a lot of sense. Kestrel and I were wandering around by ourselves for a while, but we didn't find the lake until after we met up with Asha and Hvitur. And the mud around it only showed up after Naiad and Dune joined us."

"When did it start looking like night and day?" Orca asked.

"That was right after Dune showed up, too."

"And the wind started blowing now that I'm here," the SeaWing mused.

"But even when you were alone, there was plenty of real-world stuff around you," Carnelian remembered, frowning. "Doesn't that put a hole in our theory?"

"Not necessarily," Orca said. "Those things were only there because I wanted them and asked for them, and even then there was a limit to what the world would give me. Your things seem to have showed up on their own as your group got bigger."

"So you think it'll keep getting more and more like the real world if we keep finding more dragons?" Carnelian asked.

"It might."

"Maybe that's the key to getting out of here," the SkyWing suggested. "Maybe when this place becomes enough like the real world, we can find some sort of doorway out." _I hope that's right. I don't want to spend the rest of my existence in this gray nightmare._

"Or maybe this _is_ our afterlife," Orca said. "We just have to shape it the way we want it."

That brought Carnelian up short. _I never thought about that possibility,_ she realized. _I always assumed that we would all get out of here and get to be reborn as new dragons, like our legends say. Our stories never said anything about a permanent afterlife._

"Hey," she said. "All the tribes have different stories about what happens to us after we die, right?"

"I believe so," Orca said. "I'm only familiar with the SeaWing legends, but there are a wide variety of theories even within our tribe. Some dragons think we are judged for the things we did during our lives and either go to eternal happiness or eternal suffering. Others think we have to undergo several trials to earn our place in the afterlife, and our souls are lost if we fail. Some believe that you'll spend the rest of your existence in whatever emotional state you died in; those who die content will stay happy, and those who die in regret will remain regretful. Some don't believe in anything at all."

"Wow," Carnelian said, blinking. "I guess there are a lot more different ideas about it than I thought there were."

"Yeah," Orca mused. "And those are just the ones I've read about in scrolls, so it's hard to know which ones are widely believed and which ones are just the authors' own theories. No one ever comes back from death, so we have no one to tell us about these things."

"I wonder which one is actually right," Carnelian said.

Orca turned and regarded her thoughtfully. "Does it really have to be just one?"

It was amazing how much that one question could change everything.

After a few moments of silence, Orca added, "Who knows if any of them are right? None of the ones we've heard about have ever described this place, have they?"

"No," Carnelian admitted. "But we don't know for sure that this is an afterlife. This could just be the part they left out of the legends."

"That's true." The SeaWing curled her tail around herself the way a cat might, staring off into the distance. Just when Carnelian was sure she'd lost her to her thoughts, her sapphire eyes flicked to the SkyWing's face. "How's your tail doing?" she asked.

Somehow, in the midst of their conversation, Carnelian had almost forgotten about her injury. _Guess Orca did a good job of distracting me._ She took another look at the wound. It wasn't bleeding as heavily now, but it still looked awful.

"A little better, but not much," she said.

"I have an idea," Orca said slowly, as though she were thinking about it as she spoke. "Have you tried drinking the water before?"

 _Aaaand we're back to the water debate._ "I tasted it once to figure out what it was, but Hvitur insisted it might be dangerous. The few drops I drank didn't hurt me, but he thought it might be bad if anyone drank a larger amount of it."

The SeaWing dipped her talons in the lake and studied the glittering droplets that formed on them. "I have a feeling that the water does something unusual, but I can't figure out what it is," she said. "There's a good chance it might have healing properties."

Carnelian stared at her. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

The red dragonet risked a glance over her shoulder. Naiad and Asha had rejoined the group and were talking quietly with Hvitur while Kestrel and Dune slept. "Do you think we should ask the others what they think? Naiad's been putting mud on Asha's wounds for a while now. If the water really can heal us, do you think the mud would help her more than usual?"

"It's worth checking," Orca agreed. "That is, if you aren't worried your IceWing will try to stop you if you mention it in front of him."

Carnelian snorted. "I'd like to see him try."

Orca smiled. "All right, then."

The two of them approached the group. "…going to keep trying," Naiad was saying. "It seems to be helping a lot. The wound is almost completely healed."

"Oh, hey," Asha said, noticing the dragonets and offering them her usual warm smile.

Carnelian returned her greeting, then proceeded to explain about her injured tail, Orca's hypothesis, and their course of action. When she'd finished, Hvitur looked less than thrilled.

"That seems very risky," he said doubtfully.

"Maybe not," Asha said. "It's true; my wound is healing really quickly. I thought it was just the mud, but it's definitely possible that something else is at work here."

"It could be the placebo effect," Hvitur argued.

"No one even knows what that is," Carnelian said, scowling.

"I do, actually," Naiad said. "It's when you think medical treatment is helping you, but it's actually all psychological and the 'treatment' doesn't do anything at all."

"Oh," Carnelian said, slightly less annoyed. "Thanks for translating."

"I don't think that's it, though," Asha said. "It's healing faster than any of my wounds have in the real world. The mud probably wouldn't help Carnelian, since she's not a MudWing, but the water might."

Hvitur cleared his throat significantly. "I still don't think this is a good idea," he said, glancing ever so slightly at Orca.

 _Oh, that's what this is about,_ Carnelian realized. _He still doesn't trust Orca._ For a brief moment, uncertainty washed over the SkyWing dragonet. _Even if she's friendly and easy to talk to, I don't really know her either. Is it really a good idea to drink the water just because she wants me to?_

 _But if I want the others to trust her, I have to trust her too. And my tail really does hurt. It would be kind of dumb to turn down her advice when I have no better ideas, especially since she seems to know what she's talking about. And if it's the possibility that she might be trying to trick me that has Hvitur all worried, why would she want to hurt me? She has nothing to gain from it. And I'm the one who stood up for her, so it would make a lot more sense for her to try to help me._

Still, she risked a glance at Orca, just to be sure. The SeaWing dragonet looked totally calm and confident. She caught Carnelian's eye and smiled.

 _She may be the only dragon who really wants to be my friend. How can I not trust her?_

"I'm going to try it," Carnelian said firmly. "If it turns out to be poisonous, someone make me throw it up. Then you have permission to rub it in my face that you were right, okay?"

Hvitur covered his face with his talons and sighed. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope," she said with relish.

"I swear, you're doing this to torture me," the IceWing groaned.

"Maybe a little."

"I'll keep an eye on you," Orca promised. "If there's any sign of danger, I'll make sure you get that water out of your system. But I'm honestly quite sure that nothing bad will happen."

"You'd better be right," Hvitur said darkly.

The five of them made their way back to the lake. Carnelian took a deep breath, then forced every other thought out of her mind and took a sip of water. It felt pleasantly cool in her mouth and throat, which she hadn't realized were dry until now.

She looked up to find four pairs of eyes watching her intently. "Three moons!" she exclaimed. "Stop staring at me like that! You're going to make me so nervous that I choke, and _then_ we'll have something to worry about!"

"How do you feel?" Hvitur asked, his voice a little strained.

"All right, that's enough," Asha said, grabbing his arm. "You're going to make everything worse. Don't worry, Carnelian, I'll make sure he stays far away from you until he learns to calm down." Without waiting for a reply, she marched off, dragging the IceWing along with her.

"Do you want me to wait with you?" Naiad asked, seeming slightly uneasy, but otherwise much more composed than Carnelian would have expected her to be.

"If you want to," the SkyWing said with a shrug. She forced away all remaining traces of doubt and shook her head. "I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! At this point, I'll confess I'm a little confused about what I have and haven't already revealed in the story, so if I ever repeat myself and act like it's new information, PLEASE point it out so I can fix it. Thank you again for caring about this story enough to read this far. You guys are the best.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Carnelian tossed and turned, sweat beading on her forehead as heat rose up beneath her scales. She felt as though her entire body was burning. Her throat ached and her claws trembled as she struggled to suppress its intensity. But the worst thing was the pounding in her skull, and the flood of painfully vivid dreams that came rushing in with each new throb.

 _She was standing beneath a wide open sky, rolling dunes of sand on either side of her. Moonwatcher and Qibli (they were no longer indistinct blurs; she could see their faces clearly) stood not far away, gazing up at the stars together. Moon let out a weary sigh._

 _"_ _Do you really think Winter's coming back?"_

 _"_ _I'm sure he will," Qibli said confidently. "Give him some time. Remember, he has to fly all the way to the Ice Kingdom, make sure his brother's comfortably settled there, and then come back. That's a lot to do in three days."_

 _"_ _I know," Moon said, looking doubtful. "But he's so loyal to his tribe. We can't be so sure he'd be willing to leave them to travel with us."_

 _"_ _He loves us," Qibli assured her, stepping a little closer so that the edge of their wings brushed. "He just doesn't show it."_

 _They lapsed into companionable silence, watching the stars go by as the hours unfolded._

The dream changed, blurring Carnelian's thoughts together. She had no time to recover before she was blasted into another equally vivid scene.

 _Starlight glittered both above and beneath her, the galaxies spiraling in the sky reflected clearly in the ice far below. Winter was winging quickly through the sky, flying low to avoid detection. He would have been fairly stealthy if it hadn't been for the NightWing flying alongside him. Although the shimmer of her wings was inconspicuous against the glittering world around them, the rest of her scales were much too dark to blend in. Perhaps they were hoping the night would cloak them, but it didn't work as well as it should have in this frozen landscape, where everything was bright even when the sun was gone._

 _I wonder what he's doing with a NightWing,_ Carnelian would have thought, had her mind been clear enough to form a coherent sentence. Instead, wordless confusion and curiosity wound together and got tangled up in each other, eventually banished altogether by the forceful wave of a new dream.

 _Queen Ruby's red scales were vibrant against the black night sky. She and a group of soldiers were flying together in travel formation, passing over another stretch of mountains._

 _"_ _How much farther to Jade Mountain?" the queen asked, sounding weary._

 _"_ _We should reach it by first light," one of the soldiers reported. He peered more closely at her, seeming concerned. "Is everything all right, Your Majesty? Should I signal the troops to stop for a rest?"_

 _"_ _No, I'll be fine," Queen Ruby assured him, shaking her head. "It just bothers me that we have to make this visit in the first place. I was truly hoping that the dragonets' idea for peace would work."_

 _There was a moment of silence in which the grief and overwhelming disappointment of both dragons were almost tangible. "As did we all," sighed the soldier. "As did we all."_

The image of Jade Mountain seemed to stab up from the ground and through her thoughts like a claw, banishing her current dream and replacing it with another one.

 _Peril circled up through the sky, leaving her cave and seeking the highest peak on the mountain. Her shimmering copper scales caught the light of the moon, casting dancing dots of color down on the cliffs below her. She seemed to be searching for something, and it wasn't long before she found it._

 _The fiery SkyWing swooped into a wide cave, which had many holes and openings to let in the night air. The moonlight illuminated a silk-shrouded body in the center, giving it a ghostly gleam against the darkness. Peril studied the body, taking in the scorch marks and red scales visible in the gaps between the silk, and let out a regretful sigh. She gazed at her own talons helplessly, then let them drop and examined the body again._

That's my body, _Carnelian realized with a jolt of shock._

She could feel the dream shifting, ready to tug her back into the rushing current of images, but then cold talons closed around her shoulder, shaking her. It took her a few tries to break free from her feverish sleep, but eventually she managed it. She sat up and blinked blearily, trying to clear her mind as well as her eyes, but it felt as though her brain was wrapped in clouds. Heat crawled along her scales.

"Are you all right?" Hvitur asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. In the darkness, his eyes looked almost black, but his silvery scales stood out like a dim moon half-hidden by fog. "You gasped in your sleep, like you were in pain, and when I touched you, your scales were burning up."

Carnelian tried to speak, but her throat felt as dry as a desert and no sound came out. She swallowed hard, then tried again. "Think I have a fever," she managed to rasp.

Hvitur reached out hesitantly and touched her forehead with one palm. The cold of his scales was biting at first, making her flinch, but the harshness of it soon faded and it became pleasantly cool. She closed her eyes with a soft sigh.

"Does that help?" he asked.

"Yeah."

She could sense his hesitation, but after a moment, he moved closer and wrapped one wing around her. She shuddered as the fire under her scales met the ice in his, but after the initial shock faded, relief coursed through her burning body. It felt odd to be so close to another dragon– his entire side was touching hers and her head was almost resting on his shoulder– but the cool sensation felt so good that she didn't care. _There's really no need for me to be embarrassed, anyway. It's not like there's anyone watching._

They sat like that for a while in silence. When she felt strong enough to speak, Carnelian asked, "Do you think I should drink more of the water to soothe my throat?" Her voice was still hoarse, but at least that meant it was quiet enough not to wake the others, who were all sleeping peacefully around them.

"No," Hvitur said, glancing at her face. His eyes hardened. "For all we know, it could be the water that made you sick in the first place. Drinking more might make your fever worse."

"Oh," Carnelian said. _I didn't think of that,_ she finished in her thoughts, not wanting to speak more than necessary. _I hope that doesn't mean the water's poisonous after all._

Hvitur glanced at her face again. Something he saw there seemed to be making him angry, because when he spoke again, there was a barely suppressed growl in his voice. "If Orca knew it would do this to you and told you to drink it anyway…" He trailed off, but the threat was clear.

"I'm sure she didn't," Carnelian said, trying to convince herself as much as him. She forced herself to stay optimistic. "Maybe this is just a preparation stage. Some kind of 'cleansing of impurities' that has to happen before my tail can heal."

"Let's hope so," the IceWing said.

Another silence settled over them.

"How _is_ your tail?" Hvitur asked after a while.

Carnelian moved it closer to her face to look at it. "Maybe a little bit better?" she said. "But it also could be that I'm just too focused on how awful the rest of me feels to pay any attention to it."

"No, it does look a little better," Hvitur said. "See how it's starting to scab around the edges?"

"Yeah, you're right," she realized, tilting her tail to look at it from different angles. "Maybe the water is working after all."

"Or it's just healing on its own and that claim Orca made about the water was complete nonsense."

"Don't be like that," Carnelian said, wrinkling her snout. Her throat was starting to feel better, which made it easier to talk and therefore easier to scold him. "I've been keeping an eye on her, just like you asked me to. She hasn't shown any signs of being a murderous lunatic. Three moons, stop assuming the worst and trust my judgment a little."

Hvitur sighed. "All right, I'll try."

"She's not a bad dragon," the SkyWing mused. "She seems pretty nice to me, and she's also really smart. Not in a way that makes me feel stupid, either, like you sometimes do."

"Do I?" Hvitur asked, sounding startled. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

"It's all right," she said.

"You really aren't stupid," he said after a moment. "I don't know why you think you are."

"Really?" She frowned. "But I never understand anything the least bit abstract. I don't even know if I just used the word 'abstract' right. And I don't know anything about the other tribes or the rest of Pyrrhia besides the things the other soldiers told me about them."

"You don't have to be academically-minded or well-educated to be smart," Hvitur argued. "Haven't you noticed how many times you've made some observation or connection that the others didn't figure out? If that's not being smart, I don't know what is."

Carnelian blinked, startled and touched. "Thanks."

His smile was almost shy. "You're welcome."

Some of the fire was leaving Carnelian's skin, but she still felt overheated. She leaned her cheek against Hvitur's shoulder, feeling the worst of the flames ebb out of her scales. It had to be terribly uncomfortable, or even painful, for an IceWing to endure so much heat, but he didn't push her away. He didn't even really seem to mind. She was as surprised as she was grateful.

"Thanks for this, too, by the way," she said. "I'll make it up to you somehow."

"You don't have to," Hvitur said.

"I insist." _I'd feel bad if I didn't._

"Well," the IceWing mused. "You could try not to throw yourself into dangerous situations as often. And listen to me the next time I tell you not to do something."

"Now that's asking too much," she joked.

"Very funny," he said, sounding slightly amused despite his sarcasm.

"In all seriousness," she said, "if nothing good comes out of drinking that water, I might really consider listening to you more often. It's starting to look like you were right about this situation. And if it wasn't for you and your freezing scales, I would still be feeling like a dead mountain goat right now."

"I hope you remember this later."

"I'll try to."

* * *

Sometime later (Carnelian wasn't sure how long it was, since she nodded off a few times after their conversation ended), Hvitur stirred and whispered, "How do you feel?"

She stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. "Stiff, but okay." It seemed as though her fever had broken. She was mildly warm, but not uncomfortably so. "I think the worst is over."

"It was supposed to be your shift next, but if you don't feel up to it, you don't have to take it," he said.

"No, I will," she said, moving away from him. She'd been leaning against him for so long that now her scales felt weird not touching anything, but she was steady on her feet and her mind was clear. _Thank the moons._ "I feel much better now. I'll be fine, I swear."

Carnelian was eager to stay up for a while longer. She hadn't had any more dreams while she was dozing next to Hvitur, but she was privately worried that she would fall back into nightmares if she let herself sleep more deeply. Better to take the next shift and wait until the fever was farther in her past before trying to go back to sleep.

Hvitur hesitated. "Maybe you should wake someone else up to take watch with you. Just in case."

Carnelian opened her mouth to argue, then remembered the conversation they had just had. "All right, fine," she said. "Because you've been so nice to me, I'll humor you. Orca can keep watch with me. That way she'll get to help, but you won't have to trust her to take a shift on her own yet. That's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

The IceWing didn't look completely happy with this arrangement, but he reluctantly agreed. "Wake me up if you need anything," he said, then moved away to curl up between Kestrel and Asha.

Carnelian walked over to Orca and shook the SeaWing awake. "Hey," she whispered. The green dragonet's eyes fluttered open and she raised her head. Carnelian gestured for her to follow her and moved toward the lake's edge. Her friend stifled a yawn and complied.

"What's up?" she asked, when they were far enough away from the group that they could talk freely.

Carnelian explained what had happened and the slight change of plans.

"Three moons," Orca said, the stripes on her snout lighting up in an involuntary expression of surprise. "Are you all right? I hope it wasn't the water that did that to you."

"Even if it was, I'm okay now," Carnelian said.

"And is your tail any better?"

"Not miraculously so."

Orca tapped her claws thoughtfully. "Huh, that's odd. I was so sure the water did something good. Well… maybe it does and we just aren't supposed to drink it?"

"Maybe," Carnelian said. "But let's not experiment with it anymore. I'm not eager to get sick again. And the dreams I had were crazy. I've never felt so disoriented in my life."

"Wait," Orca said. "Dreams?"

"Yeah." The SkyWing explained them in as much detail as she remembered, pausing when she got to the part about seeing her own body. "It was scarily realistic," she said, shivering. "I mean, they were all really vivid, but the others were kind of odd. The last one seemed like it could have actually happened."

Orca's gills fluttered and her eyes went wide. "I just thought of something," she said eagerly. "What if drinking the water makes you dream about what's happening in the real world?"

"I–" Carnelian frowned. "That would be weird, but it's possible." _Pretty probable, actually,_ she realized. _When I drank a tiny bit of the water days ago, I did have a dream about Moon and Winter. It seemed unrealistic and weirdly detailed back then, but now… maybe the reason it was so complex was that it wasn't really a dream, but a vision. And in the dreams I had earlier tonight, Moon and Winter were both away from Jade Mountain Academy, which lines up with the things I saw in the first dream. I don't know what's happening or why, but maybe they are doing something on their own._

"Strange that it would give you a fever in the process, though," Orca mused. "A lot of good things come with a cost, but that seems an odd price to pay."

"Maybe it's like you said," Carnelian ventured. "You really aren't supposed to drink it. Maybe there's another way to use it that doesn't involve poisoning ourselves."

"That could be true." The SeaWing moved toward the water, peering down into it with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Any other ideas about what we could do with it?"

"Maybe put some in our eyes?" Carnelian suggested. "That seems like it might be able to give us visions." Then she thought better of it and frowned. "Never mind. That would probably hurt, and if drinking it gives us fevers, I don't want to find out the hard way if it'll damage our eyes."

"It didn't hurt my claws when I touched it, though," Orca pointed out. "And putting it in your wounds didn't hurt you either. Still, I'm sure there's a better solution."

They sat in silence for a while, thinking. Even though she was starting to feel a bit better about her own intelligence after her conversation with Hvitur, Carnelian figured that Orca would be more likely to come up with something clever than she would. So her own time might be better spent keeping watch. She scanned the area, seeking out signs of movement or color, but saw none.

She was just starting to get bored of this when Orca's tail slapped the ground. "I think I've figured it out!" the SeaWing exclaimed. Carnelian turned to face her and watched as she leaned down to touch the surface of the water with her talons. "Show me Coral," she ordered.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the surface of the water rippled and an image appeared. The queen of the SeaWings was resting underwater, bubbles fluttering up from her gills from time to time as she breathed. Everything around her was quiet and dark, but her vivid blue scales were clearly visible in the gloom.

"Wow, that actually worked!" Carnelian exclaimed, excitement coursing through her veins. She could barely keep herself from jumping up and down, but managed to suppress the urge in order to save her dignity. "How'd you think of that?"

Orca shrugged modestly. "I was thinking of this as magic and wondered if the lake might be similar to an animus-touched object. Then I thought, _If I were an animus, how would I enchant it to work?_ The rest seemed straightforward from there."

Carnelian leaned in closer to watch the image move in the water. "So you think that's really what your mother's doing now?" she asked eagerly.

"Seems like it."

The SkyWing glanced at her companion, wondering if she was imagining the tension in her voice. Orca's expression was carefully neutral, but it seemed impossible that she would be feeling nothing at all. And it was weird that she wasn't more excited. _This is a major discovery here. She should be proud of herself, at the very least._

Sensing the other dragonet's eyes on her, the SeaWing looked up. "Do you want to try it?" she asked.

"Of course!" Carnelian said. "But take your time first." _Orca's the one who figured out how to make the lake work_ , she reasoned. _It's only fair to give her a few more moments to use it._

Orca gazed at the water for a little longer, then focused on something in the background of the image. "Who do you think that little green dragonet is?" she asked, frowning.

"Well, she's sleeping really close to Coral," Carnelian said. "So she's probably your baby sister." _Isn't that obvious?_

Instead of going away, the SeaWing's frown seemed to deepen. Carnelian considered asking her what was wrong, but before she could decide either way, Orca shook her head and stepped back. "You can have a turn now, if you want."

 _There's definitely more to that story,_ Carnelian thought. _Maybe she's just sad that she never got to know her sister._ She didn't have any siblings herself, but she imagined that she'd want to spend time with them if she did. That was how every other dragon in Pyrrhia acted around their siblings, anyway. _I'll ask her about it later if she still seems upset,_ she decided. _Prying now might make it worse._

 _Who do I want to see?_ she asked herself as she stepped up to the edge of the lake. _I could see how my mother is doing, but she never checks in on me, so I guess that can wait until later. Queen Ruby?_ Somehow the idea didn't seem as satisfying as she would have thought it would.

 _I don't really have anyone,_ she realized. _Not anyone that I'm really dying to see. I mean, there are a few dragons here and there that I wouldn't mind checking in on, but no one that immediately jumps to mind the way Queen Coral did for Orca._

Wondering more deeply about why that was would probably uncover a lot more thoughts she wasn't ready to confront, so Carnelian just picked the first name that came to mind. "Show me Moonwatcher," she said, touching the water gently with her talons.

The image of Coral winked and dissolved. The water was clear for a few moments before the new image appeared. Moon was sleeping in a plain off-white tent, a simple woven rug beneath her talons separating her from the sand below. A few buff-colored scales at the edge of the image hinted that Qibli was nearby.

"Huh," she said. "I guess the dream was right." _But what in the name of all three moons are they doing so far away from Jade Mountain?_ she wondered. _They didn't strike me as the runaway type._

"Told you," Orca said, flashing a smile.

Carnelian pushed all her questions to the back of her mind. _I'll think them over later, when I'm not in the middle of a conversation._ "The others are going to be so happy when we tell them about this," she said, taking a moment to imagine how the scenario would go. Asha would probably hug them. Kestrel would be impressed, but she'd try not to show it. Even Dune would crack a smile. "They've all been here so long. I'm sure there are tons of dragons that they haven't seen ages."

"I'm sure you're right," Orca agreed. "I feel the same way."

 _Oops, I forgot how long she's been here_. Feeling a bit guilty, Carnelian stepped out of the way. "Want to use it again?" she offered. "I've only been here for about a week at most. I can wait."

The SeaWing waved away her concern. "Don't worry about it. But if you're definitely sure you're finished, I will take a turn." She moved forward to take the red dragonet's place, leaning down to study the water. After a few moments, she dipped her claws in the liquid and said, "Show me Gill."

"Who's that?" Carnelian asked as the image of Moon rippled away.

"My father," Orca said, pressing her claws together as she waited.

They both turned their attention to the water. The seconds slowly ticked by, dragging out the suspense. _Why is taking so much longer than the others did?_ Carnelian wondered.

After what felt like several minutes of the water staying dark and still, Orca frowned. "I don't think it's going to show us anything," she said, her tone oddly brittle.

"That's weird," Carnelian said, furrowing her brow. "Why wouldn't it?"

A moment later, she regretted asking the question. When Orca turned her sapphire gaze on the SkyWing, her expression was solemn. "It might mean that he's dead."

"Oh," Carnelian said, feeling awful. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Orca said. "It isn't your fault."

For a few heartbeats, neither of them said anything. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable. "We could try asking it to show us someone we know is definitely dead," the red dragonet suggested hesitantly. "That way we'll know for sure either way about your father."

"Yeah, you're right," the SeaWing said, taking a deep breath. "It'll help to have closure."

"Show me Bigtail," Carnelian ordered, touching the water.

She gave the lake some time to react, but nothing happened. The surface stayed as dark and smooth as it always had been, showing them only their own reflections.

"Well, I know for a fact that Bigtail is dead," she said carefully. "I've seen him here. So if it's not showing us him and it's not showing us Gill…"

"Then that probably means that my father is dead," Orca said flatly.

"At least that means we might see him here," Carnelian ventured, trying to be comforting. "It's not like there's no chance you'll ever meet him again."

"That's true," the green dragonet said, giving herself a little shake. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them again and asked, "All right, who else should we look at?"

Before Carnelian had a chance to reply, she heard a loud noise echoing through the darkness as though from far away. She whipped her head in the direction of the sound, suddenly alert. Orca went still by her side, their conversation forgotten.

"What do you think that was?" the SkyWing whispered.

"I don't know," her companion replied. "But it didn't sound good."

They waited for a few tense moments in silence.

Then the noise came again. It sounded like some sort of crossover between a growl and a shriek. "That's definitely a fighting noise," Carnelian said in a low voice.

"Think it's another dragon?" Orca asked.

"Better that than another kelekona."

They carefully made their way back to the group, taking positions in front of the sleeping dragons so that they would be ready to defend in case whatever had made the noise was headed their way. As they drew near, Hvitur lifted his head. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Based on how alert his eyes were, he hadn't actually fallen asleep after ending his watch.

"We heard an angry noise," Carnelian explained.

"Listen," Orca added, tilting her head.

Hvitur was silent for a moment, taking in the sounds. "We should go investigate," he suggested. "It could be a dragon who needs our help dealing with either a monster or that darkness Naiad got trapped in." He kindly left out the part where Carnelian had needed help getting out of it, too.

"Should we wake up everyone else, just in case?" the SkyWing asked.

"I think that would be wise," he agreed.

Hvitur stood guard while the other two quickly shook the rest of the group awake. Surprisingly, no one grumbled or complained. They simply gazed around at each other and took it all in silently when Carnelian explained what was going on.

"At least three of you should go," Dune said quietly when she had finished. "Fewer than that wouldn't be able to defend themselves properly if it's another monster of the kelekona's size. You know I'd offer to go myself," he added, casting a glance at the place where his leg should have been, "but I'd only slow you down."

Carnelian squashed a sudden rush of pity for the injured SandWing. _You don't have time to waste feeling sorry for him right now_ , she reminded herself. _Focus on what's going on._ Shaking her head briefly to clear it, she turned her attention to the others. "I dealt with the kelekona," she pointed out. "That means I should go now. I have experience."

"You're hurt, though," Asha reminded her, clearly concerned.

"I should go instead," Kestrel said irritably. "I also have 'experience', as you call it, and I don't have any wounds left over from the encounter."

"Well, someone has to stay behind to defend the rest of the group in case we get defeated," Carnelian argued. "Your experience would be valuable here. Yours, too," she added, turning to Orca.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kestrel growled.

"Look, Dune is already staying here, and he's hurt," Carnelian said, using what she felt was perfectly sound logic. "Having two injured dragons in the same group isn't a good idea. Since I can move a lot faster than he can, and he said himself that he's worried he'd slow us down, that means I go and he stays."

"You weren't feeling well before, though," Orca pointed out. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"We don't have time to argue about this," Hvitur interrupted. "I really don't think you should come, Carnelian, but I'm not going to waste time trying to stop you. I'm going and Asha's going, because we're both skilled fighters, we know how to work together, I'm a strategist, and Asha is a decent diplomat should we need one. Whoever else wants to come can come." With that, he turned and stalked away in the direction of the sound. Asha blinked, surprised, then went after him.

 _There's no way I'm getting left behind._ "I'll be their backup," Carnelian promised. "If I don't need to get involved, I won't. But I'll be there if they need me. Good enough?" Without waiting for an answer from anyone, she hurried after the others.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, thanks for every view, favorite, follow, and review. Your feedback and support are really what keep me going. :) Also, if you haven't already seen it, please check out my new Wings of Fire fanfiction _The Heart Brings You Hope._ Since _Wings of Spirit_ came first, it'll probably stay my first priority when it comes to updates, but I'll try to keep updating both regularly. Summer's almost here, so I'll be writing a lot more by next month (hopefully). Thank you again for giving this story so much love.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

The trio was halfway to the horizon before Carnelian remembered to mark their path. _Orca could probably use that trick of hers to find us again, but… it's better to be safe than sorry. The last thing we want is to be permanently separated from the group._ She exhaled a large burst of fire, scorching a trail into the ground as she walked. Hearing the sound of her flames sizzling against the ground, the other two paused, allowing her to catch up.

Hvitur's expression was equal parts surprised and exasperated. "I thought I told you not to come," he said, a hint of frost curling out with his breath. The air between them grew perceptibly colder.

"You never said that!" Carnelian cried indignantly. "You said you weren't going to try to stop me!"

The IceWing sighed, continuing on toward the source of the noise. "I thought I _heavily implied_ that you should respect my judgment enough to listen to me and stay behind," he muttered.

"There's no point in arguing," Asha said firmly, before the SkyWing dragonet could come up with a good retort. "We can handle whatever threat we're about to face if we work together, but we can't do that if we're all angry at each other."

"I'll stay out of it unless you really need me," Carnelian said, pausing in her fire breathing. "No unnecessary risks. That's the best you're going to get."

The MudWing caught her passive-aggressive tone and gave her a significant look. _What did I just tell you?_ her eyes seemed to say.

Carnelian cleared her throat. "I mean, don't worry, Hvitur. I'll try not to give you a panic attack."

The three dragons focused their concentration on hurrying toward the sounds, which had begun to echo through the darkness again. Now there were hisses and snarls, broken up by thumps and scraping. _Those are definitely the sounds of a fight,_ Carnelian thought. _I'd recognize them anywhere. Now the only question left is who– or what– is fighting?_

After a few more seconds of running, movement caught her eye; she turned her head in time to see a blur of white rush through the gloom. The figure, which was clearly a dragon, slid back a few feet, his neck arched in a threatening manner as he hissed. At first, Carnelian didn't see his opponent and thought he was fighting an illusion that only he could see, but then a dark shape materialized out of the shadows and descended on the white dragon, sending him crashing to the ground.

 _Monster._ That was Carnelian's first thought, striking like a lightning bolt through her mind. Forgetting her promise in an instant, she leaped forward to defend the unfamiliar dragon, striking his assailant directly in the snout. The dark creature reeled back with a roar, eyes blazing with fury.

 _Wait, that's a dragon!_ she realized belatedly. Silver stars glinted dully on the underside of his wings, just barely visible without proper light to reflect off them, as he moved forward to retaliate. Carnelian tried to dodge his attack, but she didn't jump far enough away; the NightWing was massive, and his tail reached much farther than she'd expected as he whipped it around to lash her in the chest. The blow knocked the wind out of her, and before she could recover, the black dragon lunged forward and threw her to the ground with such force that her teeth clacked painfully together.

Shock kept her from getting back up. Never in her life had she been so quickly disarmed and brought to another dragon's mercy. The NightWing leaned forward and pinned her down with one palm, his claws large enough to cover her entire ribcage. "Stupid dragonet," he growled, smoke pouring out of his nostrils. "You shouldn't jump into fights you don't understand." He inhaled, fire gathering at the back of his throat.

Simultaneously, a startled hiss came from somewhere behind Carnelian's head. Her doom was postponed as the NightWing looked up, distracted. The SkyWing twisted, trying to see what was going on, but her opponent had her completely immobilized. Craning her neck back, she could just barely see the IceWings, who were standing close together. The stranger had his talons closed around Hvitur's throat and he was leaning in threateningly, his frostbreath brushing the smaller IceWing's scales. Hvitur stood perfectly still, neither fighting back nor trying to escape.

"Hey!" Carnelian barked, rage flooding through her. "Let go of him!" She struggled to free herself, letting out a frustrated roar when she couldn't so much as move an inch. "If you even _scratch_ him, I'll rip your wings off!"

"Everybody stop!" Asha shouted, doing her best attempt at a commanding voice. She held up her wings and exhaled a small burst of fire to get their attention. The NightWing glanced at her and something like recognition came over his face, though he retained his impressive scowl. The unfamiliar IceWing looked wary, but he raised his chin defiantly and didn't release Hvitur.

"Don't move," the MudWing said carefully. "This has all been a terrible misunderstanding. We don't mean you any harm. And I'm sure the two of you had no real reason to fight either."

The strange IceWing cast the NightWing a look of loathing. "His tribe is reason enough."

The dark dragon let out a responding snarl.

"That's not true," Asha said firmly. She sounded so sure of herself that Carnelian could feel her conviction as if it were her own. "Dragons from different tribes can work together. The color of your scales and what kind of abilities you have aren't as important as the things you do and the choices you make. And blaming each other for what your ancestors did isn't fair, either." The swamp dragon turned to look at the NightWing, then suddenly did a double take. "Morrowseer?" she asked incredulously. "Is that really you?"

"Indeed," the NightWing rumbled.

 _What? They know each other?_

"Let Carnelian go," Asha pleaded. "She's reckless, but she didn't mean to offend you or hurt you. She thought she was doing the right thing. Like we always did in the Talons of Peace. She's on our side, Morrowseer, I promise you."

 _This dragon is a Talon of Peace?_ Carnelian thought in disbelief. He seemed awfully angry for a dragon trying to _end_ a war; he'd be more likely to start one with that kind of attitude. _Then again, I did attack him first, so maybe that's why he's so aggressive._ She stared back into his face as he turned to look down at her, disdain evident in the wrinkle in his snout. _Or maybe that's just his personality._

Morrowseer sighed. "I suppose I ought to spare you, dragonet," he said. "But if you dare attack me again, I won't be so forgiving." He stepped back, releasing Carnelian from his grip. She sat up, wincing as pain shot through her chest.

Asha turned her attention to the unfamiliar IceWing. "I don't know why you're attacking Hvitur," she said in the same careful tone she had used earlier, "but I'm sure whatever it is can be resolved without a fight."

The white dragon let out a harsh laugh. "If that were true, I wouldn't be dead."

The MudWing looked both startled and confused, and Carnelian didn't blame her. She had no idea what she would have said to the IceWing if she were in Asha's place. _Thank the moons she's the diplomat and I'm not._

"What's your name?" the brown dragon asked after a moment, her voice gentle.

The IceWing snorted. "Why should I tell you that?"

"Because we want to help you," Asha said.

 _Ha!_ Carnelian thought. _You might, but I certainly don't._

The white dragon paused. "Arctic," he finally said, with a hint of bitterness to his tone. "Though I don't suppose that name means anything to any tribe but the IceWings. And maybe our enemies," he added, jerking his chin in Morrowseer's direction.

It was hard to tell in the gloom, but Carnelian thought she saw Hvitur's eyes widen slightly. She hoped he would explain who this dragon was so they didn't have to insult him by asking, but the silver IceWing made no effort to speak.

"I don't know who you are and I couldn't care less," Morrowseer said disdainfully.

Asha shot him a look. "If you tell us what happened, maybe we could help you come up with a solution," she said to Arctic.

The IceWing closed his eyes. "I fell in love with a NightWing. She was taken away from me. I gave my life trying to find out what happened to her." He opened his eyes and glared at Morrowseer. "I was hoping that that piece of filth would know the answer, but he remembered nothing of Foeslayer. Forgotten by her own tribe," he spat contemptuously. "I shouldn't have expected anything else from that miserable pack of worms."

Asha blinked, clearly upset by the story. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, but the white dragon didn't seem to hear her. He turned his attention back to Hvitur and tightened his grip.

"But you," Arctic said, " _you_ know the answer, don't you? My own tribe would never forget my story. What did my mother do with Foeslayer?"

Hvitur tried to shake his head, but froze when the sensitive scales on his neck met the edges of Arctic's claws. "I don't know," he rasped. "I've heard of you and Foeslayer and your son, but no one's ever talked about what happened to her."

"You're lying," Arctic hissed.

"I'm not," Hvitur choked out.

"Stop it!" Carnelian snapped, barely suppressing the urge to dig her claws into Arctic's throat. "Bullying him isn't going to make him remember something he doesn't know!"

"She's right," Asha said more calmly, though Carnelian could see the worry all over her face. "Just let Hvitur go. He can't answer your question, but if we work together, we can probably find someone who can."

"Are you serious?" Carnelian hissed in Asha's ear. "I'm not working with _him_. He's been nothing but a heartless jerk!"

"Shh," the MudWing said, touching Carnelian's shoulder with one talon. The dragonet jerked away, offended.

Arctic stared into Hvitur's eyes for a moment longer, then shoved the other IceWing away from him, releasing him from his grip. Hvitur closed his eyes and rubbed his throat, coughing.

"If he doesn't know what happened to Foeslayer, who will?" Arctic asked bitterly.

An idea popped into Carnelian's mind. _He could use the lake._ She tried to stomp down the thought. _He doesn't deserve that! If he acts like a jerk to Hvitur, I'm perfectly justified in acting like a jerk to him._

But some traitorous part of her opened her mouth and said, "I think I know a way."

Everyone looked at her, even Morrowseer, though the NightWing's expression was somewhere between judgmental and bored.

Arctic's blue eyes were wide with something that was too close to hope for Carnelian's liking. _Rabbit guts,_ she cursed internally. _Now I'd feel bad not telling him, and that's totally not fair._ "Orca and I discovered something," she said reluctantly, turning to Asha. "You know the lake we've been camping beside for the past week? It turns out that it has magic of some sort. Drinking it made me have dreams of the real world, and when we touched the water and asked it to show us other dragons, we could see images of them on the surface."

"What?" Asha exclaimed. "Really?" When the SkyWing nodded, her expression of shock turned into one of indignation. "Why didn't you tell us before?" she demanded.

"Um, you were sleeping?" Carnelian suggested.

"That doesn't matter!" the MudWing protested. "Next time you make a big discovery like that, wake me up!"

Morrowseer's dark eyes glittered with sudden interest. "Where is this lake?" he asked. "I would like to use it myself."

Arctic shot him a look of pure hatred.

"Now, now, everybody calm down," Asha said. "There's plenty of time for everyone to use it. I don't know exactly how it works, but I'm sure there's enough room around the lake for all of us to use it at the same time if we wanted to."

"When Orca and I were using it, the image of the dragon I picked replaced Orca's," Carnelian said. "So I'm not sure if it can show more than one at a time."

"Even if that is the case, if we're all patient, we can share by taking turns," Asha amended.

Arctic and Morrowseer stared each other down for a moment. Carnelian got the sense that the NightWing was standing his ground more out of stubbornness than because he really needed to be first. Eventually, Asha spoke again, snapping them out of their battle of wills.

"If you two can't get along, you can't be part of our group," the MudWing said. "I'm sorry if that's pretty harsh, but our group has been coexisting fine up until this point and I don't want to ruin that. I'm not saying you have to be best friends or anything, but you need to be able to respect each other enough not to fight in every spare moment."

Morrowseer eyed the white IceWing distastefully. "I suppose I can refrain from wringing his neck."

Arctic stared back for a moment, seeming conflicted, then turned his attention to Asha. "Fine," he said briskly. "I'll do anything I have to for Foeslayer."

The brown dragon let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. "Good," she said, shaking the tension out of her wings. "Glad we got that sorted out."

"Which way?" Arctic asked curtly, clearly not one to waste time.

"I marked a path," Carnelian said, making a vague motion toward the space behind Asha. "The end of it should be somewhere over there."

Arctic moved to pass the two female dragons, but Carnelian stepped into his path and held up one talon to stop him. "Hold on just a moment," she said.

The IceWing looked impatient, but to his credit, he didn't push past her. "What is it?" he asked.

Carnelian grabbed one of his ears and pulled it down to bring his face level with hers. "I'll forgive you this time," she hissed. "But if you _ever_ threaten any of my friends again, I will rip your wings off and strangle you with them. Understand?"

Arctic looked positively livid, but his need to use the lake's power seemed to win out over his pride and he controlled his temper. "Fine," he growled through clenched teeth.

Carnelian released him and stepped aside, watching in satisfaction as he passed her with wariness in his eyes. It had been a long time since she last made someone fear her and she found it quite refreshing. _Good to know I still have it in me._

As the white dragon disappeared through the mist, closely followed by Asha and Morrowseer, Carnelian moved to Hvitur's side. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'll be okay," he said, with only a hint of roughness to his voice. He touched his throat gingerly, where small beads of blood had formed, startlingly blue against the paleness of his scales. "What about you?"

"You mean from my fight with Morrowseer?" Carnelian scoffed. "That was nothing. I mean, maybe I'll have a few bruises tomorrow, but there's no real harm done."

"What happened to not getting involved?" Hvitur asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh," she said, realizing she'd completely forgotten about her promise. "Oops?"

Hvitur sighed. "You're hopeless."

"Hey, I'm not the one who let some jerky IceWing walk all over me and stab his talons into my throat," Carnelian objected. "What was that about, anyway? Why didn't you fight back?"

Hvitur shook his head. "It's complicated," he said. "You wouldn't understand."

"Now I'm offended," she huffed.

"Don't be," he said. "It's nothing personal. It's just…" He stopped himself. "Never mind."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, but instead of answering, he turned and disappeared into the mist. Stifling a growl, Carnelian hurried after him. "You can't do that!" she shouted. "Now you have to tell me! You don't just start to say something and not finish!"

"Maybe another time," Hvitur said noncommittally.

"Urgh, you're so annoying sometimes," she grumbled.

He smiled ruefully. "Probably not any more than you are."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Anytime."

They traveled for a few more moments in silence. They could just barely see the lake in the distance now; Arctic was nearly halfway there, with Asha and Morrowseer trailing a few yards behind. _I hope no one attacks Arctic when he gets there,_ Carnelian thought. _If they don't know that he's with us, they might see him as a threat._

 _Who am I kidding?_ she asked herself. _He is a threat. He attacked both Hvitur and Morrowseer for almost no reason. Forget Orca;_ he's _the one I really have to keep an eye on._

Hvitur frowned. "I wish you didn't threaten Prince Arctic," he said, clearly thinking along the same lines. "It's going to make him hate you, and I really don't think he's the kind of dragon you should cross."

"Wait, what?" Carnelian almost shouted. " _Prince_ Arctic? He's royalty?"

"Well, yes, he was when he was alive," Hvitur said. "Which was a long time ago."

"Wow, I never would have guessed that," the SkyWing said, wrinkling her snout. "He's so aggressive. Aren't princes supposed to be, like, diplomatic and stuff?"

"Maybe he was, once," Hvitur mused. "But time and experience make dragons change, and according to our history, he had a very difficult life." He gazed ahead at the other IceWing with a mixture of confusion and curiosity in his blue eyes. "Although I'm not sure what to think now. What he told us didn't match the stories I grew up hearing at all."

"What I'm starting to realize is that everything is more complicated than it seems," Carnelian said. "Pretty much everyone here has a lot more going on than I would've expected. Everyone was part of some story that they didn't get to finish. And I don't even know everything about myself anymore."

"You're right," the silver dragon said thoughtfully. "We're all complicated. And so is life. That's why it doesn't always turn out the way we want it to. Things happen when we least expect them to, and sometimes without warning, we're ripped away before we finish doing everything we wanted to do." He sighed. "At least that means we all have something in common."

 _Huh, that's true,_ Carnelian realized. _Everyone in our group died unexpectedly and suddenly. Well, maybe it wasn't completely unexpected; most of them were in a war, after all. But not one of us died peacefully or happily. There was so much that we left unfinished._

 _Is that just a coincidence?_ she wondered. _Or did I just figure out something important?_

 _Could that be the reason we're here?_

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I don't write any of the characters 100% accurately, but I'll confess that I'm not very confident about the way I'm writing Arctic and Morrowseer. Arctic is such a complex character that I'm not sure I'm doing him justice, and Morrowseer is just difficult to write because he's not in power here and that's so much of his character. I'd really appreciate any feedback/suggestions on this.**

 **Thanks for all reads, reviews, favorites, and follows. Your support means the world to me. :)**

 **~Blaze**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your support! This story got over 1,000 views last month and that makes me happier than I can say. I'm glad you like my fanfiction and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) Thank you for all reviews, favorites, and follows; I'm always happy to receive feedback on my work.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

 _Slow down, Carnelian,_ the SkyWing dragonet told herself. _Don't go jumping to conclusions. First, make sure that the information you're working off is actually accurate. Do we all have unfinished business?_

 _Asha, Hvitur, Dune, and Kestrel definitely did. They were trying to stop the war and didn't live long enough to see if they succeeded. I guess the same would go for Morrowseer, if he really was a Talon of Peace. Naiad wasn't part of that group, but her husband was, and she wanted to know what happened to him and their son. Arctic also wants to know what happened to someone he loved, that NightWing Foeslayer. I don't know about Orca, but then again, I've never known much about her. I'm sure there's someone she's left behind that she's never mentioned, or something she was trying to accomplish before she died._

 _But most of them already figured out what they needed to know,_ Carnelian realized. _The Talons of Peace know now that the war is over and Pyrrhia is more or less at peace. Naiad knows that Webs and Riptide are both okay. If they came to this world because they had unfinished business, why haven't they disappeared or moved on or something now that it's finished?_

 _Unless they still have more they need to do,_ she argued with herself. _Asha and Hvitur seem happier than they did when we first met them, but Dune is still quiet and sad-looking all the time and Kestrel is still grumpy. Maybe Dune has some dragons he wants to check on; he never asked me how anyone in Pyrrhia was doing, like Kestrel did about Peril and Naiad did about Webs and Riptide._

 _And Kestrel was looking for someone,_ she realized. A dim memory flickered in the back of her brain. _When we first met, she said something kind of strange. 'I was looking for someone else' or 'You're not the dragon I was looking for' or something like that. So she must have known someone who died, someone who was important to her. I wonder if she's found them yet. Was it one of the Talons of Peace, or was it someone else?_

 _And that still doesn't explain why Asha and Hvitur are still here. Unless Dune and Kestrel's happiness matters so much to them that they need to know they're both okay and at peace before they move on themselves._

The idea of any of their group moving on without her made Carnelian feel surprisingly upset. _I've never realized how much I rely on them,_ she thought. _As much as I hate to admit it, I'd be completely lost without them. And… I'd miss them. A lot._ It was awfully sappy, but it was true, whether she liked it or not. _I really, really hope none of them leave me._

 _But what's my unfinished business?_ Carnelian wondered. _Here I am, assuming that everyone else is going to solve their problems before I do and move on without me, but I don't even know what problem I have to solve. The lake's power already proved I didn't leave anyone I really cared about behind; I couldn't think of anyone I needed to see, even when it was my turn. I never got to become a general, but that's not something I can ever finish now. Unless I try to turn this motley crew into an army, which, let's face it, is never going to happen at all, much less with me as the leader._

 _Maybe it's that I never got to finish growing up,_ she thought. _I'm only seven. I could have lived so much longer. But I can't finish my entire life from in here. If that's my unfinished business, does that mean I can never finish it? I can't ever move on?_

The thought was deeply troubling. _I'll have to bring this up the next time we have a group meeting. Or group conversation._ She wasn't sure what to consider their discussions; they weren't quite formal, but they weren't the most casual thing in the world either. _I'm sure Hvitur and Orca would be able to tell me whether my whole 'unfinished business' idea is plausible or not._

Of course, one of the two was walking beside her right now. She glanced at the IceWing, debating whether to say anything or not. If she asked him his opinion, he'd almost definitely give it to her, and he'd probably be able to use that information to figure out a lot more about the world around them if she was right. Their discoveries would benefit the entire group. That was undoubtedly a good thing.

 _So why am I hesitating?_

Carnelian had been thinking and feeling a lot of things that didn't make logical sense in the past week or so, but while they weren't smart thoughts and feelings, she knew where they came from. She was lonely, she was insecure, she wanted other dragons to like her so she could feel better about herself, and other sentimental things like that. Never before had she wanted to act against the group's best interests.

 _Maybe it's because I'm afraid,_ she realized. _I don't want to know if I might be stuck here forever. I don't want to know if there's a chance that everyone else is going to move on and be happy and I'm going to have to be happy for them because I care about them, but really I'm going to be so sad and lonely and pathetically miserable without them. Maybe I'm not ready to face that kind of possibility._

"Is something wrong?" Hvitur asked, snapping Carnelian out of her tangent. The SkyWing blinked, realizing she had no idea what they'd been talking about before she'd gotten lost in thought.

"Um, nothing, I'm fine," she mumbled somewhat incoherently.

The ice dragon gave her an odd look, but didn't pry.

Mostly to distract herself, Carnelian looked ahead at the rest of the group. She was surprised to see that Arctic had reached the lake while her brain was spinning around in circles. Kestrel had stalked forward to confront him, Dune hovering supportively at her shoulder, and the two of them were staring the white IceWing down as he explained what was going on.

Apparently Arctic passed the rust-colored dragon's inspection, because she stepped aside and allowed him to pass, watching with careful eyes as he made a beeline for the water. Asha and Morrowseer approached the rest of the group soon afterward, and to Carnelian's surprise, that was when things went wrong.

Kestrel's first reaction to the NightWing's presence was shock. Then her amber eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared, smoke curling out of them and fogging up the air around her. "Morrowseer," she growled, loud enough for Carnelian to hear what she was saying even though she was several yards away. "You'd better have some explanation about what you're doing here or what you were doing with Blister the night I died, or so help me, I will dig my claws into your eyes and rip them out."

Carnelian was equal parts grossed out and impressed by that threat. She and Hvitur both quickened their pace, hurrying toward the group so they wouldn't miss any part of the confrontation. She suspected that the IceWing wanted to know what was going on so he could figure out who needed to be protected from whom, but she personally just wanted to see Kestrel fight someone.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Morrowseer rumbled, looking down his snout at the SkyWing.

"Guys," Asha said worriedly, jumping between them as Kestrel started to lunge at the black dragon. "What's going on? You two used to be friends. Or got along, anyway," she amended when Kestrel snorted. "Why are you fighting all of the sudden?"

"I'm not interested in fighting her," Morrowseer said. "I'm not the problem here."

"Oh, yes you are," Kestrel flared. She wheeled around to face Asha, flinging out an enormous wing in the NightWing's direction. "This traitorous worm allied himself with Blister. He told me our prophecy dragonets were in danger and that I had to come as quickly as possible, but when I arrived, I found only him and that sly snake of a SandWing. Then she stabbed her barb into my heart." The SkyWing shot Morrowseer a look of absolute hatred. "It may have been Blister who actually killed me, but as far as I'm concerned, Morrowseer is equally responsible. And I intend to make him pay."

"I assure you, I am far more powerful than you are," Morrowseer said scornfully. "If you wish to challenge me, be my guest, but it is a challenge you will never win."

"Hey," Asha protested. "There's no reason to trade insults. The war is over now. It doesn't really matter who was on whose side. If we let go of our grudges, we can all get along."

"It _matters_ that he helped Blister kill me," Kestrel snapped. "I value my life. It matters to me."

The MudWing looked helplessly from one dragon to the other. Carnelian felt sorry for her. The more new dragons joined their group, the more conflicts would arise, and the more Asha would end up trying and failing to mediate their disputes. The SkyWing dragonet didn't need prophetic powers to see that.

"Morrowseer," Dune interrupted, his voice quiet but startlingly powerful. "Answer this question, and if your answer is satisfactory, we might be persuaded to forgive you. Why did you help Blister?"

"I don't want your forgiveness," the NightWing sneered. "All I want is to use that lake."

"Well, you can't," Carnelian interjected. "Not until you earn Kestrel's forgiveness."

Morrowseer whirled around to confront her. "I had you at my mercy, dragonet. I chose to spare you. Now you owe me something in return."

Carnelian stalked forward. "Asha can only protect you from either me or Kestrel, not both of us," she pointed out. "If I attack you and you try to fight back, Hvitur will join in to defend me." She wasn't entirely sure that was true, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that; if she sounded confident enough, she'd be able to intimidate Morrowseer into backing down. "If Asha stops me, Kestrel will fight you herself, and Dune will back her up. And that's assuming Asha won't take our side over yours. Even if you can defeat one dragon, are you really willing to risk taking on up to five of us at once?"

Morrowseer's expression was completely impassive. Carnelian honestly couldn't tell if he took her seriously or not. Even though his black eyes seemed to bore into hers, she forced herself to meet his gaze unwaveringly. "So you see," she added, "giving you a chance to explain yourself to Kestrel and apologize without a fight is your favor. Now we're even."

They stared each other down, the air so still and silent that Carnelian could count her heartbeats.

"Very well," the NightWing said briskly; if he was angry or intimidated, he didn't show it. He turned to address Kestrel and Dune. "I supported Blister because it was what my queen ordered me to do. I doubt you know much about the Kingdom of Night, but it was not in an optimal location. Blister offered to help us find a new, safer place to live in exchange for our assistance in the war."

"You were a Talon of Peace," Kestrel growled. "You made an oath to put peace before your tribe."

"Winning the war for Blister would have ended the conflict and brought peace to Pyrrhia," Morrowseer pointed out smoothly. "I never broke my oath."

"He meant well," Dune said after a few moments. "Although his choices were…questionable."

 _Pfft, how do we know what his intentions were?_ Carnelian thought. _He could have been trying to help his tribe. He could have been trying to end the war. Or he could have been shamelessly trying to earn his queen's favor by playing a role in getting his tribe a new home._

"Now if you'll excuse me," the NightWing said, "I have a lake to visit."

Kestrel glared at him. "I haven't forgiven you yet."

"I don't think you ever will," Morrowseer said. "And I definitely won't be overstaying my welcome. All I need is a few moments of tolerance and then you'll never have to see me again."

"But we could use your assistance, Morrowseer," said Hvitur. "We don't know a lot about this world, but we do know it's dangerous. Combining our intelligence and our strength would benefit us both. We'll put the past behind us if you agree to help us out."

Although Carnelian would ordinarily be glad to see Morrowseer go, she had to admit that Hvitur had a point. If Burn and her allies, or anyone worse, came along, the enormous NightWing would be an invaluable asset. _Anyone who can flatten me to the ground with little to no effort is an excellent fighter._

 _Still doesn't mean I have to like him, though._

Morrowseer considered the offer. He glanced at the lake, clearly factoring its power into his decision. "Very well," he rumbled. "I will stay with your… group. At least for a few days."

Kestrel glowered at Hvitur, clearly blaming him for this turn of events, but Asha looked relieved. "I'll go with you to the lake, to make sure Arctic lets you have a turn," she said. "Carnelian, how to make the lake work?"

"I'll show you," Orca offered. Carnelian glanced at her, wondering if the SeaWing had somehow known she didn't feel like explaining it or if she'd just wanted to do it herself.

"Thanks," Asha said. Orca led the way, the MudWing and the NightWing following closely behind.

Kestrel let out a bad-tempered sigh. "This is all your fault, Hvitur."

"Well, I'm not sorry," the IceWing replied, which was a surprisingly confrontational response for him. "We need Morrowseer's help, whether you like it or not. Even if you're not very fond of him, you have to admit that he's both cunning and powerful, and that makes him a very useful ally."

"I don't have to admit anything," the older SkyWing griped. She turned and stalked off toward the lake, heading deliberately for a spot far down the shore from Morrowseer. Hvitur watched her go with a mixture of frustration and weariness on his face.

"Well, at least you won the argument," Carnelian offered, grinning at him.

"She's not going to be happy with me, though," he sighed.

"She'll get over it," the red dragonet assured him.

"You're right," Hvitur agreed. "But she'll make my life miserable until then." He hesitated. "I think I'm going to try to use the lake myself. Are you coming?"

Carnelian shook her head.

An odd expression flickered across his face, but he didn't say anything else, only turned around and trailed after the other dragons. Sometime during their conversation, Naiad had also gone to the lake's shore, leaving only Carnelian and Dune standing where they had been. The SkyWing and the SandWing eyed each other awkwardly.

"Arctic told us the lake has the power to show us the living," Dune said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "Don't you want to use it?"

"Don't you?" Carnelian countered, mostly to avoid answering the question.

Dune gazed at the lake, where the other seven dragons were clustered. "If I'm going to look for my family, I'm not going to do it while everyone else is watching," he said quietly. "Some things are far too personal for that."

"I'm actually surprised none of the others seem to feel that way," Carnelian remarked.

"I take it you feel the same?"

"Well, kind of," she said. "It's complicated."

He didn't answer for a few moments. "I think the others are so eager to see their loved ones again that they don't care who sees their innermost feelings and regrets spread out in front of them," he said at last. "But my feelings have always been deeply private. And I was part of the army for long enough to learn the kind of self-control I need to keep them that way."

 _He really is a secretive dragon,_ Carnelian mused. _I have no idea who he fought for during the war. Or how he lost his leg. Or how he feels about pretty much anything._

 _But I am starting to realize that he's more like me than he originally seemed._

"Do you ever feel like everyone else expects you to feel a certain way about things?" she asked. "So when you feel something different, you need to hide it, even though that's just who you are?"

Dune turned to look at her, his dark eyes difficult to read. She wondered if she'd gone too far, shared too much of herself and pushed him to give too much of himself in return. It was an odd worry to have; normally she was the one who clammed up and refused to share anything. "I have," he finally answered. "Though that's not always the reason I have for keeping my feelings hidden."

"Don't feel like you have to tell me anything," Carnelian said quickly. Their conversation was rapidly becoming personal and she was starting to feel awkward about it.

Dune looked amused. "Don't worry," he said. "I wasn't going to."

The SkyWing dragonet blinked, unsure of how to respond. Dune actually began to laugh. It was an odd sound, sort of dry and rumble-y, but it was genuine, which made it kind of beautiful.

"I'll use the lake later," the SandWing said. "Right now, I'd better take watch." He nodded at the dragons by the water's edge. "None of them are paying the least bit attention."

"Do you mind if I stay with you?" Carnelian asked. She didn't want to be alone, and suddenly the desert dragon didn't seem like such bad company after all.

"Not at all," said Dune. She could have sworn the edges of his mouth curled up in the slightest of smiles.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks for being so patient in waiting for this chapter. I expected to have more time to write now that it's summer, but it turns out that I've actually been pretty busy these past few months. Hopefully this chapter has been worth the wait. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

After spending most of the night awake, the group slept later into the morning than usual. But after a certain point, Carnelian's eyes snapped open and refused to stay closed when she tried shutting them again. As tired as she was, it seemed that she wouldn't be falling back asleep.

The SkyWing got up and stretched. A quick look around told her that the only other dragons awake were Naiad, who was keeping watch, and Arctic, who was still peering into the depths of the lake. _Wow. I don't think he's moved once since he got here,_ Carnelian thought. _He must be really missing Foeslayer. At least he was able to find her, I'm assuming. That means she's still alive._

She didn't want to interrupt the white IceWing, but something inside her drew her irresistibly to the edge of the lake. Arctic glanced up at her as she approached, his blue eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Keeping up his vigil seemed to be taking its toll. Carnelian met his gaze silently for a few seconds, asking him without words for a moment alone, and he reluctantly stepped away, giving the image in the water one last lingering look.

The dragonet peered curiously at the NightWing in the pool, unable to help herself. Arctic seemed like such a bad-tempered dragon; anyone who could make him fall in love was undoubtedly very interesting. She was shocked to see two familiar dragons in the image: Winter and the NightWing she had seen with him in her dream.

 _How are all of our stories always so connected?_ Carnelian wondered, utterly baffled. _None of us have met Arctic before, but his lost love knows my sort-of-not-really friend._ She shook her head. _I bet this world is doing it on purpose._

Pushing all other thoughts from her mind, she leaned down and touched the water. Conscious of Arctic standing relatively close to her, she whispered as quietly as she could, "Show me Jade Mountain."

Carnelian wasn't sure if the lake's magic worked with locations, but after a few heartbeats, Winter and the NightWing Foeslayer disappeared into the depths of the pool and another image rose up to take their place. It was the green peaks of Jade Mountain, just the way they had looked when she first saw them on her way to school.

The sight gave her a strange twinge of nostalgia. _That was back when I thought school was going to be very boring and that nothing important could ever happen there. Three moons, how wrong I was._

She gazed at the image for a few more moments, feeling an odd mixture of fondness, resentment, and regret. Then she dipped her claws into the water again and murmured, "Show me the inside."

The scene changed. Dragonets milled about in the hallways, some chatting and laughing. Most seemed to be sticking with their own tribes rather than their winglets, but she did see a RainWing and a MudWing walking side by side down a corridor, a SandWing laughing at something a SkyWing had said, and an IceWing offering a SeaWing something that could have been a smile. _Huh, they seem to have warmed up to each other a little,_ Carnelian thought. _I didn't think that would happen._

 _Then again, I did the same with everyone here, and that was the last thing I ever expected._

Either there were no classes going on at the moment or all the students had developed a rebellious streak and were cutting. Deciding that the former was more likely, she began to wonder where the school's founders were and why they weren't doing their jobs. _They always made us get up early,_ she thought, a little grumpily. _Why is it that they give us mornings off only after I'm dead?_

"Show me Clay," she said, choosing the least obnoxious Dragonet of Destiny to watch.

The scene changed, and after a few moments of looking around, Carnelian realized with a jolt of shock that she recognized the room the prophecy dragonets were in. _I saw this place in my dream,_ she thought. _This… this is where they were keeping my body._

Sure enough, it only took another moment or two for her to spot the familiar shape wrapped in silk as white as the clouds. Clay was standing nearby, watching as Sunny paced back and forth anxiously.

"Do you think she'll believe us?" the small SandWing asked.

"It's the truth," Clay said calmly. "She'll see that eventually, even if she's not sure at first."

"I hate that we have to do this," Sunny said, with an uncharacteristic hint of bitterness. "It feels like we failed."

"Hey, don't give up," the MudWing said, reaching out to grasp Sunny's claws in his own. The gesture reminded Carnelian of Asha. "Some unexpected things have happened, but our school is still going. These dragons all want peace as much as we do. They're willing to try again."

"But what about Carnelian and Bigtail?" the golden dragon asked. Carnelian flinched in surprise at the mention of her own name. "Because of what happened, they're gone forever. They can't try again."

Clay pulled Sunny into a hug. "Then we'll have to try for them."

 _They're talking about how I died,_ Carnelian realized. The thought of hearing about what ended her life filled her with dread, but at the same time, she was consumed with a need to know. _Could this be my unfinished business?_ she wondered. _Do I need to know how I died before I can accept it and move on?_

She leaned in closer to listen, but it didn't seem like she was going to get her answer anytime soon. The two prophecy dragonets talked for a while longer about whatever was troubling them. It was odd to see Sunny voice her doubts and need reassurance. _Maybe she's not as bubbly and stupid as I thought she was,_ Carnelian thought. _She's still not my favorite dragon, but she's not quite hate-worthy, I guess._

After what seemed like hours of snooping on their conversation, something out of sight caught the dragonets' attention. Carnelian craned her neck in an effort to see who or what it was, but she saw nothing until Clay moved toward the newcomers to greet them. The scene shifted with him, expanding to include a group of SkyWing soldiers led by Queen Ruby.

Carnelian barely paid any attention to the greetings the dragonets and the queen exchanged. She was too busy trying to figure out what was going on. A moment later, she saw Queen Ruby's eyes flicker toward her body at the back of the cave, and all the pieces came together. _She's come to collect my body,_ Carnelian realized. _And the dragonets are going to explain what happened._

"We're all terribly sorry about what happened," Sunny began, clearly feeling the weight of her words. "We take full responsibility for the awful tragedy that occurred in our school. We should have been more careful about introducing the students to one another and making sure they were all comfortable here. We also should have been more vigilant in making sure no one was carrying any weapons or anything that could have possibly been used to harm other dragons. We were just so confident that this would work out, and that all the students here were just as willing to work for peace as we are, that we never even considered the possibility that something like this might happen."

"I understand," Queen Ruby said. "We are just as disappointed by what happened. But Carnelian was one of ours, which means that we owe her justice. Please tell me, in as great detail as you can recall, exactly what happened that day."

Carnelian felt her chest tighten. _One of ours._ Hearing those words from her queen made her heart soar, but grief and longing for the life she could have had tugged it back down. _If only I hadn't died. If only I'd had more of a chance to prove I was worthy of being included._

Sunny glanced at Clay, who gave her an encouraging nod. "The students had a history lesson to attend," the golden dragonet began. "A MudWing named Sora and an IceWing named Icicle were among the students in that class. So were Carnelian and the NightWing Bigtail, who also lost his life that day."

"I am sorry for the NightWings' loss as well," Queen Ruby murmured.

Sunny looked surprised, but quickly managed to hide it by continuing her story. "Sora remembered Icicle from a battle during the war," she said. "We weren't aware of this at the time we decided to put them in the same group, but Icicle had killed Sora's sister Crane in that battle. Sora was understandably changed by this loss. When she saw Icicle again, and was constantly around her at school, her grief for her sister and her fear of Icicle consumed her until something in her snapped. She wanted to kill Icicle, not only to avenge her sister, but to protect herself and others from the IceWing, who she believed was still dangerous."

Here Sunny began to falter, clearly overwhelmed by the emotional impact of the story. Clay gave her a comforting squeeze, then stepped forward to take on the role of storyteller. "Icicle believed that she and Sora were on fairly good terms and treated her as a friend," he said. "She told Sora that she would be heading to the history cave early, and Sora decided to take that chance to kill her. She planted a cactus bomb in the cave, intending to set it off when only Icicle was in the room, but she had never used one before and didn't know how quickly it would go off.

"Icicle wasn't in the cave at the time of the explosion," Clay continued. "But Bigtail and a RainWing named Tamarin were there, and Carnelian walked in just before the bomb went off, according to the students who witnessed it from in the hallway."

There was something uniquely chilling about hearing an account of her own death. _So that's what happened,_ Carnelian thought. _Sora, of all dragons, accidentally killed me and Bigtail while trying to kill Icicle. At least no one was deliberately after me. Sora_ really _didn't seem like the type to do something like that, though. But then again, Sunny did say she was unstable after what happened to her sister, and considering how close the MudWing sibling bond is supposed to be, I guess that makes a lot of sense._

 _Did Qibli know that something was going to happen?_ Carnelian wondered for the first time. _He did tell me not to go in there, and gave me some suspiciously lame excuse when I asked him why not. Is it possible that he was working with Sora?_

 _No,_ she realized. _If anyone knew what was going to happen, it was Moonwatcher. She was the one who was having a panic attack or a breakdown or something. Maybe Sora had confided in her, and she wanted to stop dragons from dying, but she didn't want to betray Sora's trust._

 _It doesn't really matter now. All that matters is that no one tried to kill me for something I did. I was just really, really unlucky. I still wish I didn't die, but there's nothing I have to be truly sorry for._

The thought was somewhat comforting. Carnelian stepped back from the edge of the lake; now that she'd gotten the answer she'd been looking for, the water's power didn't really matter anymore.

Arctic gave her a hard look. "Are you finished?" he asked, with barely suppressed impatience.

"Oh, yeah," she said, snapping back to reality. She hadn't realized how long she'd been standing there using the lake. Everything else had seemed to disappear while she was gazing into its depths. Was that why Arctic had spent so much time here without seeming to know or care what was going on around him?

The white IceWing moved past her, touching the water and murmuring his beloved's name. Carnelian could see movement on the lake's surface, but she was too far away to see exactly what was happening and didn't want to snoop anyway. So she made her way back to the group, who were all still sleeping, and lay down beside them.

"Carnelian?" Naiad asked softly from where she was keeping watch. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the SkyWing dragonet said, trying to clear her head. "Or at least, I will be in a few minutes. There's just a lot on my mind."

"Don't let me interrupt you," the blue dragon said. "Carry on thinking."

"I will," Carnelian replied, smiling a little.

She was sure that all the new revelations and thoughts would keep her awake. After all, if she wasn't able to fall asleep with a blank mind, how could she possibly hope to do so with her brain full and overflowing? But something about the chaos in her head was exhausting enough to send her to sleep like some sort of twisted lullaby.

* * *

Sometime later, Carnelian was jolted out of her sleep by a sensation she hadn't felt in quite a while. Something landed on her snout, leaving an unpleasant wetness behind. A moment later, another droplet landed on her forehead and rolled down her face. Reluctantly shaking off the last traces of sleep, she sat up and gazed at the sky, only to have another drop land directly in her eye.

And that was all the warning she had that it was raining before a full-on downpour started, drenching her from nose to tail in seconds. The cold and the wetness made her gasp. Then everyone else was waking up around her, each with their own startled reaction to the weather. There were grumbles and shouts and overall a lot of noise.

"Great," Kestrel growled, lifting her wings over her head in an attempt to block the rain. "Having no horrible weather was one of the things I liked about this place."

Morrowseer hissed in annoyance, also trying to shield himself with his wings. Since he was the largest dragon in the group, there seemed to be the most space under his makeshift umbrella. Carnelian ducked under one of his wings, shaking water off her own. The NightWing glared at her, but didn't push her back out into the rain.

"I hope there won't be any lightning," Naiad said, looking surprisingly unhappy about the rain. Carnelian would have expected the SeaWings to be more tolerant of getting wet, but when she glanced at Orca, the green dragonet was also wearing a displeased expression.

"I think we would have heard thunder already," Hvitur said. The rain was so heavy that it was difficult to see anything more than a few yards away, and the IceWing's pale scales made him even harder spot through the sheets of water descending from the sky. As he got closer, Carnelian saw that he was holding one wing out to the side to shield Dune, who seemed even more upset about getting wet than the others were, if that was possible. _It has to be a desert thing,_ she thought. _He's probably used to it being dry and hot all the time._

"Arctic," Asha called, waving toward the dragon by the lake. "Come over here!"

"What's the point?" Carnelian asked, wrinkling her snout. "He's going to get just as wet over here as he is over there."

"I was thinking that we could all huddle together and try to overlap our wings so that at least one or two of us can take shelter underneath," the MudWing explained. "That way we can stay dry without tiring out our wings."

"One or two dragons stay dry and comfortable while everyone else gets tired and soaked?" Kestrel snorted. "As if anyone who isn't the one taking shelter is ever going to agree to that."

"We'll take turns," Asha said, unfazed. "I'll take outside first. I don't mind the rain."

"I think it's a good idea," Hvitur said. "Hopefully the rain won't stay this heavy for long and it'll be a very temporary arrangement."

"If you guys don't mind, I think I'll take my chances with the lake," Orca said. "When I was alive in the Kingdom of the Sea, we usually went underwater to wait out any storms. It might sound like there's no difference, since you're wet either way, but you can't feel the droplets hitting you if you're far enough under."

"The fewer dragons there are in rotation, the less time each of us will have to wait for a turn under the shelter," Asha pointed out. "So if that's what you want to do, go ahead."

"Thanks," Orca said, hurrying off toward the lake.

"I think I'll go, too," Naiad decided, setting off after the other SeaWing.

Arctic, who had finally abandoned his vigil by the water, came to join the rest of them. He seemed particularly annoyed by the weather. "The rain was disturbing the surface of the lake too much for any images to appear," he said bitterly. "So don't expect its power to work until the weather clears up."

"Well, we're glad you're here," Asha said gently.

Arctic barely glanced at her, but he didn't say anything rude, either.

The MudWing took a quick head count. "So, there are seven of us here," she said. "Maybe five of us could form a circle and two can shelter in the middle at a time."

"Dune should be in the middle," Hvitur offered. "The heat from his scales would help whoever else was underneath dry off."

The SandWing gave his silver companion an odd look, but the IceWing didn't seem to notice. _I wonder what that's about,_ Carnelian thought.

"Good idea," Asha said. "All right, everyone. Let's try this."

There was a bit of unenthusiastic grumbling, but when Hvitur and Kestrel stood side by side and extended their wings to cover Dune, the others reluctantly followed suit. Carnelian had just begun to dry off under Morrowseer's wing, but she figured she owed it to Asha to support her, so she stood next to Kestrel and added her wings to the shelter. Asha joined on Hvitur's other side and Morrowseer came forward to finish the circle.

Arctic looked dubious as he ducked underneath the mess of overlapping wings, but after a few moments of being safely out of the rain, he relaxed a little. Even so, Carnelian knew that any of the others would have been more grateful for the shelter, and had to resist the urge to haul him out so someone else could take his spot.

Asha seemed to be the only one who could keep up a lively spirit while being drenched. "Come on, guys, let's talk about something to distract ourselves," she said cheerfully, raising her voice to be heard over the downpour.

"Um, the rain could be a good thing," Carnelian tried. "It means this world is getting more like the real one."

"That's still making us think about the rain," Kestrel pointed out dryly.

"She's right, though," Hvitur said, which made Carnelian feel obscurely pleased.

"And why exactly is that a good thing?" Morrowseer inquired.

"What, me being right, or this world getting more like Pyrrhia?" Carnelian asked.

"Both, I suppose," the NightWing said, scowling.

"The more this world becomes like Pyrrhia, the more we can understand it," Hvitur said. There was something about the way he spoke when he was explaining things, a subtle eagerness on his face and in his tone, that always drew Carnelian's attention inexplicably to him. "And the more we understand this place, the less we have to fear from it, and the greater chance we have of being able to find a way out."

"Hmph," Morrowseer said, wrinkling his snout slightly as though he had a bad taste in his mouth. "You do make some sense after all."

 _He doesn't want to admit it, though,_ Carnelian thought, amused.

"What I don't understand is why you want to leave," Arctic said unexpectedly. "The lake is here. There probably isn't anything like it anywhere else. Why would you want to give up the only way you have to see your loved ones again?"

Everyone else exchanged glances, unsure of what to make of this. Carnelian had never even considered the idea of staying here by choice. _If we all did that, then I wouldn't be separated from everyone or left alone, regardless of what unfinished business we may or may not have,_ she realized.

 _But is this really any way to live? Everything is gray and lifeless. There's nothing to do. We don't age, which in my case means I'll never grow up. It's like being stuck in one single moment forever._

 _But the others are here,_ she reminded herself. _These dragons make this place bearable. For now._

"But moving on could reunite you with your loved ones," Hvitur said, seeming puzzled. "Wouldn't you rather be with them instead of just watching them in the lake?"

"The only dragon who means anything to me is Foeslayer," Arctic said quietly. "And she's still alive. There's nothing for me ahead."

Hvitur's eyes widened in shock. "But that's not possible," he breathed, his voice barely audible over the rain.

It was loud enough for Arctic to hear, apparently. He whirled on the other IceWing. "I thought you said you didn't know what happened to her!" he snarled.

"I don't!" Hvitur said. "But… according to the stories I've heard, you and Foeslayer lived over two thousand years ago. There's no way she could still be alive."

A shocked silence fell over their group. _Two thousand years?_ Carnelian thought disbelievingly. _And Arctic's still here? Does that mean there's nowhere to go? This really is our final place? Or is he just that troubled that he hasn't been able to move on, even after all this time?_

"Then the lake must be lying," Arctic seethed. Despite his anger, he looked deeply shaken. "I saw her in Pyrrhia, flying through the mountains with some insignificant dragonet!"

"But all the lake's images have been consistent," Carnelian said, thinking of the way her feverish dreams had lined up with the things she had seen in the water when she woke up. "It would only make sense if what we were seeing was actually what was happening."

"And what I saw lined up with what Carnelian told me was happening in Pyrrhia before she died," Asha said, clearly troubled. "So it seems like it's true."

"This world could still be messing with us," Hvitur said. "It might be showing us what we want to see instead of what's really happening."

 _Is that true?_ Carnelian wondered. _Was I that desperate to know my death wasn't my own fault that the lake invented a story to trick me? But that story seemed awfully complicated. Too complicated and unusual to be anything but real. Even so…_

"We should ask Orca when she gets back," she decided. "If anyone will know, it'll be her."

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in that SeaWing," Morrowseer observed. "Especially considering that she just abandoned you to find shelter for herself."

"She does know a lot about this place," Hvitur said. "More than the rest of us. And she did ask our permission to leave, so I wouldn't consider that abandonment."

 _Huh, Hvitur just defended Orca,_ Carnelian realized. _And he doesn't have that guarded look on his face that he usually gets when he talks about her. Seems like I've finally convinced him to trust her._ She couldn't help but feel pretty proud of herself.

"Well, she'd better know whether or not that lake is showing us the truth," Arctic said, staring off in the direction Orca had gone as though he was considering going after her.

"Not right now," Asha said, seeing where his gaze was headed. "At least wait until the rain eases up."

"My wings are aching," Kestrel grumbled. "We should switch places."

Arctic didn't look thrilled to take her place, and Carnelian was sure he wouldn't agree to it. But to her surprise, after a moment of hesitation, he it did without complaint. _Maybe he actually is grateful that we let him shelter first._

"Someone can have my spot," Dune offered.

"No, we need you to keep us warm," Asha said, nudging his tail. "Besides, I want you to tell us a story. It'll be an excellent distraction."

The SandWing hesitated, seeming conflicted. "What kind of story?" he eventually asked, relenting.

"Anything that isn't going to put me to sleep," Kestrel said, twitching her tail and flicking water droplets on Carnelian's legs. She was bigger than Arctic or Dune and had to crouch more deeply to keep her head from hitting the bottom of the group's wings, something she seemed rather irritated about. The older SkyWing held her talons out toward Dune as though he was a fire, drying them in the warmth that radiated from his dusty yellow scales.

"All right," Dune said. "How about a legend?"

No one had any objections, except perhaps Morrowseer, who closed his eyes as though he found the others exceedingly boring. He could simply be trying to keep the rain out of his eyes, if Carnelian was being generous, but she was sure the faint sigh that escaped him indicated otherwise.

"In a time long past, before Pyrrhia and the dragon tribes as we know them came to be, scavengers ruled the land," Dune began. "They were intelligent and daring, and their arrogance knew no bounds. They believed that the world was theirs to control, and that no other species was fit to rule. They spread across the continent, building their cities and recording the stories of their own achievements to pass on for what they believed would be an eternity of their dominance.

"In their hubris, they treated the land and its creatures as their playthings, using them for their own benefit and even their amusement without concern for the wellbeing of others. What they didn't realize was that the land had its own spirit, and that spirit was growing angry.

"Now, with every achievement they made, the scavengers bolstered their own daring," Dune continued. "At last, they came up with their most daring plan yet: to build a tower that would reach the sky, and perhaps even the moon. This idea itself might not have provoked the nature spirit enough for it to take action. But the scavengers required many resources to build the tower of their fantasies, and they gathered them in abundance, consuming entire forests and mountains and valleys. They spread their destruction across the entire continent, leaving nothing but their own creations behind.

"The nature spirit was filled with hatred. In a fit of rage, it sent down great fire from the sky, what we now call lightning. It repeatedly razed the land, bringing down the scavengers' creations the way they had brought down its. When it had finished, nothing but barren land remained, but it was satisfied."

 _How terrible,_ Carnelian thought, shivering a little. She told herself it was just the cold rain running down her scales, refusing to admit that something about the story had chilled her to the bone.

"That's not the end, is it?" Asha asked tentatively.

"Not quite," Dune said. "When the nature spirit had finished its purge, few creatures were left. There were some scavengers, but not enough to recreate the astonishingly capable force they had once been, at least not for a while. All the creatures who remained were tired and weak, but they were determined. By sheer force of will, they continued to survive, seeking out traces of water and food wherever they could. After three days and three nights of this difficult existence, the nature spirit made a choice.

"It was deeply impressed with the resourcefulness and fighting spirit of those who remained, even the scavengers. So, slowly, it began to recreate the world as it had once been, before the scavengers had built their cities and destroyed what wasn't theirs. It decided to give all a second chance.

"But to ensure that they wouldn't make the same mistake again, it left part of the world in its destroyed, desolate state, as a reminder of what had and would happen to those who take too much and give too little. To this day, only the bravest and most resilient of creatures dare live there." Dune cleared his throat and resettled his wings. "And that, my friends, is how the desert came to be."

"That's not the way the IceWings tell it," Arctic remarked, but despite his words, he seemed interested by the tale.

"The nature spirit was pretty harsh, but I like it," Asha said thoughtfully. "It's a comforting thought, that everyone got a second chance, even after some of them were really terrible."

Carnelian wasn't usually the type to enjoy legends and stories, since she didn't have much of an imagination, but even she found this one fairly intriguing. She suspected that Dune's storytelling skills had something to do with it. He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, but quietly enough that they found themselves leaning in to catch every word, and he had an air of wisdom about him that gave merit to his tale, despite its fanciful nature.

Kestrel yawned, and Carnelian could tell she hadn't found it very interesting. But the rust-colored SkyWing seemed content enough to be dry that she didn't make any snide comments.

"I think the rain's letting up," Hvitur said, squinting up at the sky.

Sure enough, within a reasonably short amount of time, the downpour eased off into a drizzle, and eventually stopped altogether. The cluster of dragons moved apart, shaking out their wings and flicking water off their tails. Carnelian had to admit, everyone looked pretty hilarious when they were soaking wet; their wings were bedraggled and drooping, and their spikes and crests were plastered to their scales. Dune was the only one who was completely dry.

 _At least the storm is over,_ Carnelian thought, flapping her wings and stomping her feet. _Now we can move forward and do something else. Even if we aren't exactly sure where we're going._

* * *

 **A/N: I'm actually not too confident about this chapter, since it's kind of all over the place and the ending was pretty sudden, but I figured I should post it anyway instead of waiting any longer (since it's weeks overdue), and hopefully you enjoyed it.**

 **Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting this story. As of July 27th, I've been writing _Wings of Spirit_ for over a year. I can't believe it's been that long! I never could have made it this far without all the encouragement you've given me, and I really appreciate each and every view, favorite, follow, and review. Thank you so much for giving my story so much love. You guys are the best!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hello! It's been a while! I'm not sure if you all normally read my author's notes, but even if you're the type of person who usually skips them, PLEASE READ THIS ONE. I'm sorry, it's quite long, but I think what I'm about to say in it is pretty important.**

 **If you've made it to this chapter, that means you've been an incredibly patient and wonderful person. I'm aware that it's been over a year since the previous update, and for that I apologize. I've been incredibly busy, and I know I say that a lot, but this time it's even more true than ever. My life has changed a lot, and it's taken a lot of getting used to.**

 **I have to admit that sometime during the months I spent away from this story, I lost a lot of my inspiration for it. When you spend a little time each week (or each month) working on something, it's much easier to stay dedicated to it than when you haven't touched it in a long time. I've also hit points where my confidence in my writing (and my self-esteem as a whole) took a deep plunge, which made it hard to work up the motivation to keep going.**

 **But every once in a while, although I wasn't writing much, I came on this website to see what was going on. I read over the entirety of what I had posted for this story, which really made me aware of how rocky the first few chapters were and how patient you all must've been to stick with the story and keep reading in the hopes that it would become something better. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.**

 **I've found moments in this story that have made me cringe a bit, but also moments that have made me proud. There are some parts I would probably write differently if I were to start again. But the only way to go from here is forward, and I think that (hopefully!) there's enough heart and humor in here to make it worth your while, and worth the time I've poured into writing this fanfiction.**

 **Most of all, what convinced me to come back and keep writing, even when I felt like nothing I could ever write would be worth the effort, was you guys. I've read all your reviews, and all your positive feedback and encouragement has meant the world to me. The Watcher of Gallifrey, BrittaniValberg, Emerald the Rain-IceWing, and Crystal Winter2002: your reviews, in particular, really touched my heart. I can't thank you enough for giving me enough of a push to get me to open up this old document and continue typing.**

 **Know that this chapter, and every one going forward, is for you guys.**

 **Because there was a long period where I didn't write this story at all, my style might've changed a bit since the last update. I did my best to make this chapter stylistically consistent with the rest of the story. I know it's not perfect by any means, but I put as much effort and heart into it as I possibly could, and I really hope you enjoy it, especially after the long wait.**

 **Thank you all again for giving your support, time, and love to this story, even when I couldn't.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Carnelian plodded through the thick mud along the edge of the lake, oddly satisfied by the feeling of wet earth glopping between her talons. The muck was messier than ever after the rain; it stuck to her scales, the gray covering the red until it looked like she was being eaten by stone. It would probably take a few dunks in the lake to get it all off, but she supposed that wasn't the end of the world.

"Orca," she called to the SeaWing, who was walking a few paces ahead.

"Hm?"

"Do you think the visions in the water are real?"

The green dragonet glanced over her shoulder, surprise clear in the arch of her brows. "I'm certain of it," she said. "What's making you ask?"

The SkyWing explained the realization they'd had as they waited out the storm. "It's impossible that anyone who lived during Arctic's time could still be alive," she concluded. "But the lake shows him his NightWing girlfriend flying around Pyrrhia, still perfectly fine and breathing."

Orca's tail flicked back and forth absentmindedly as she thought. "That's quite the anomaly," she remarked. "Everything I've seen in the lake is more or less possible."

Carnelian wrinkled up her snout in a mixture of amusement and confusion. "More or less?" she echoed.

Her friend smiled. "Well, I suppose it wasn't anything truly impossible," she said. "Just something I thought was. I guess not even I know everything."

"Your humility is shocking," Carnelian joked.

"It is, isn't it?" Orca agreed.

They continued their path along the lake's edge in companionable silence. But Carnelian's mind was still on the vision conundrum. _If we can't trust what we see in the lake, we're back to square one,_ she thought. _We don't know who's okay and who isn't. The story about how I died could even be a lie._

"Something's still bothering you," said Orca. It wasn't a question.

"Do you still think the visions are true?" Carnelian asked. "Even knowing about the Arctic problem?"

"I do," Orca said, to the SkyWing's surprise. "I'm not sure how, but I'm confident that everything we've seen is real."

"But how can we be sure?"

Orca stopped again, turning to face Carnelian. Her sapphire gaze was steady. "We'll get a sign one way or another eventually. Until then, just trust me."

 _Trust me._ Something about the way she spoke the words, with the utmost sincerity, was almost hypnotizing. Carnelian's reply slipped out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. "Okay."

The SeaWing smiled. "I promise you won't regret it."

* * *

Several days passed without incident. Naiad marked each new morning by clawing a line into the rock, but the afterworld had never felt so timeless to Carnelian. Each waking moment began to blend into the next until she felt like she was drowning in a river of wasted hours.

None of the dragons felt safe leaving the lakeside; the deadline for their deal with Burn's group had come and gone, and they all worried that she would come back at any moment. If there was a confrontation, they would need the whole group there if they wanted a serious chance at winning.

But no one leaving meant nothing getting done. And even after spending a while in the land of the dead, Carnelian's old army habits came back at unexpected times, and one such habit was the need to feel like she was doing something important. Slacking off for a few hours wasn't too bad, but when days at a time went by without her accomplishing anything, she started to feel like a failure.

And when Carnelian felt like a failure, she started to get angry.

If the lack of progress wasn't bad enough on its own, another unexpected problem arose. She was used to spending long periods of time with the same dragons in the military. Therefore, she hadn't foreseen the possibility that she might get sick of the group she had started to consider her friends.

As it turned out, the dragons she was used to camping with were unusually well-disciplined and didn't let any annoying habits slip through. This motley crew was a different story.

Even the ones she normally liked, which was most of them at this point, began to grate on her nerves after a few days of constant interaction. The lack of progress made all of them antsy, and being on edge made everyone's patience wear thin and all their annoying habits come to light.

Kestrel's bad mood hit an all-time low and she snapped at everyone. Morrowseer in particular was a victim of her rage, and while Carnelian thought the NightWing deserved it, their fights were so constant that watching them lost its appeal. Kestrel's yelling was also very loud, and if the SkyWing dragonet didn't go to the other side of the lake, her ears would be ringing by the end of her friend's tirade. If this kept up, Carnelian was sure she would go deaf, and she quite liked her hearing, thanks.

Asha, ever the pacifist, inevitably tried to break up their arguments. Watching the MudWing fight a losing battle every moment of the day was painful. Even worse, her cutting in only made the arguments take longer to end, as Kestrel would resume snapping at her target after she'd finished telling Asha to mind her own business.

Even the MudWing's optimism, which was something Carnelian had come to respect about her, got annoying under the wrong circumstances. When there was nothing for them to do and no apparent way to improve the situation, the "keep your head up"s and "don't be discouraged"s sounded less like genuine encouragement and more like false cheeriness and empty words. Asha started every new day by murmuring a positive phrase to herself, which seemed to benefit the swamp dragon, but got under Carnelian's scales for some reason she couldn't explain. The young SkyWing took to sleeping as far from Asha as she could manage, just so she wouldn't have to hear the unbearably hopeful mantras coming out of the MudWing's mouth each morning.

Naiad and Hvitur were even jumpier than usual, thanks to the looming possibility of Burn's reappearance. Naiad at least attempted to stay calm, but there was only so much of her anxious fidgeting that Carnelian could take. The only thing that seemed to mitigate the SeaWing's worry was constant action, so she made herself busy in small ways, like deepening the tallies until they were violent gouges in the rock and building walls out of the mud by the lake, only to tear them down in a few hours. The pointlessness of it all made frustration boil beneath Carnelian's scales until the urge to shout at someone was almost too strong to fight.

Hvitur was almost worse. His anxiety manifested itself in pacing back and forth, micromanaging the watch schedules, and just generally being a nuisance. Carnelian had to resist the urge to claw his snout on a daily basis, but she managed to control herself by keeping two thoughts in mind. One, Hvitur was normally her friend, and if she attacked him now, she'd probably regret it when his annoyingness dropped back down to a manageable level. Two, Arctic was clearly the worst one of the bunch, so if she was going to start beating dragons up, he should be the first one on her list.

The ancient IceWing had lost faith in the visions he saw in the lake, but you wouldn't be able to tell that by watching him. He still spent most of his time gazing into the water, doing nothing to help the group and taking more than his fair share of turns at the lake's side. But now whenever he stepped away, he spent the rest of his time complaining that the images were a lie. _If you're so convinced what you're seeing isn't real,_ Carnelian thought furiously, _then why don't you BACK OFF and let someone WHO WILL ACTUALLY APPRECIATE IT use it for a change?_

The only two who weren't impossible to be around were Dune and Orca. Dune was usually too quiet to be annoying, so when she needed some peace, Carnelian came and sat next to him, and they shared a few moments of companionable silence. Their ritual typically lasted until Kestrel started growling at someone and broke the spell.

Orca was too… _something_ to be annoying. Carnelian couldn't quite find the words she needed to describe the SeaWing, but _perfect_ was probably the closest thing she could think of. Technically, that was wrong; no one was perfect, no matter how hard they tried to be. But the green dragonet seemed to do everything right. She was so charming that even Hvitur and Naiad had softened to her. Carnelian kept waiting for something about Orca to bother her, but aside from the shock of having misjudged her when they first met, she had yet to find something that did.

After having spent seven years of life annoyed at everyone for something, it was strange to find a dragon she couldn't help but like.

* * *

One day, Carnelian found her patience wearing thinner than normal. She'd been woken up by Kestrel's grumbling that morning, which was never a good way to start the day, and she was beyond fed up with nearly all her friends by this point. _Keep calm… keep calm… for the love of the three moons, KEEP CALM,_ she told herself, but she knew she was reaching her breaking point.

Asha, in predictable fashion, was attempting to placate Kestrel's wrath. Carnelian sighed, closed her eyes, and tried not to lose it. _We've been through this a million times already! Just let her cool off! It may take forever, and it may be a pain, but nothing you say is going to make it happen any faster!_

Hvitur chose that impeccably ill-timed moment to come up beside the young SkyWing, squinting at the horizon. "Still no sign of Burn," he murmured.

"Would you _stop it_?" Carnelian hissed. "She might come back. She might not. But stop _fretting_ about it! Getting your tail in a twist isn't going to stop her from coming. It's just going to tempt me to rip it off and shove it up your snout!"

Hvitur drew back a little, looking wounded.

 _Great!_ Carnelian barely bit back the words. _All I do is lose my temper once, and now I feel bad. How is that fair?_

She opened her mouth to say something less hostile, but couldn't seem to find any words, so she ended up stomping away without saying anything.

 _Ugh,_ she thought, sitting down and rubbing her temples. All this pent-up anger, and the first few flickers of guilt, were giving her a headache. _I'll have to apologize to Hvitur later. I mean, he is annoying, but I guess it isn't his fault he's like that. He's not_ trying _to be a pain. Just like it's maybe not all my fault that I'm sometimes pretty grouchy._

A shadow fell across her clenched talons. _Hvitur probably followed me._ Carnelian took a deep breath and tried to be polite. "Look… I'm not in the mood for a conversation right now. Could you please go away and talk to me later, so I don't snap at you again and spend the rest of the day regretting it?"

The shadow took a step back and held up its talons in a peaceful gesture. "Okay."

That voice wasn't who she'd been expecting. Carnelian's head jerked up in surprise. "Oh, I thought you were someone else!" she said. "Sorry. That warning doesn't apply to you."

Orca smiled, touching the tips of her talons together lightly. "That's good," she said. "Because I have an idea that I think you'd like to hear."

Carnelian sat up a little straighter, interested. "What is it?"

"I'll teach you the trick to finding other dragons in this world," Orca said. "The one we used to find Kestrel when the two of you got separated. It'll be an excuse to get away from the group for a while. What do you say?"

Carnelian stared at her, processing what she'd said. _Get away from the group for a while._ Those words were music to the SkyWing's ears.

"I'm in," she said.

"I thought you would be," Orca said, offering her a knowing grin. "I'll let Hvitur know what we're doing. I know he's not keen on the idea of anyone leaving right now, but you'll be learning a new skill, so it'll be productive."

"You're brilliant." Even though she wasn't the hugging-type, Carnelian was so grateful that she was tempted to throw her wings around the green dragonet. She settled for smiling back, though her grin was so wide with relief that she probably looked a bit goofy.

Orca laughed. "I'll be right back."

A few moments later, they were on their way. "Only you could've pulled this off," Carnelian remarked. "Hvitur wouldn't have listened if I'd been the one to suggest it."

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," Orca said thoughtfully. "Everyone in the group respects you. They just prefer to err on the side of caution, which seems to be at odds with your philosophy."

"Respect? Me?" Carnelian said doubtfully. "They all think I'm reckless."

"Well, maybe they do," the SeaWing acknowledged, sounding amused. "But 'reckless' is not incompatible with 'worthy-of-respect'. Naiad respects your courage. Asha respects the fact that you care about the group. Any recklessness of yours doesn't stop you from having those qualities as well. You see what I mean?"

"I suppose so," Carnelian said. She made her best effort to sound nonchalant, but secretly, she was flattered.

They continued on for a while in silence. Carnelian became increasingly aware of the fact that they hadn't marked their path with fire the way they usually would. She'd taken for granted that Orca could get them back to the group, even if she herself failed to learn the skill. "Do you think this is far enough?" the red dragonet asked, trying not to let uncertainty creep into her tone. _Maybe erring on the side of caution isn't as 'at odds with my philosophy' as Orca thought._

Her friend shrugged. "Anywhere we can't see them from is technically 'far enough', but I figured you'd want to stay away for as long as possible. You may not get an opportunity like this again."

Carnelian mulled that thought over for a while. "You're right," she decided. "Lead on."

Orca laughed. "We're not going anywhere in particular. I hope you know that."

"That's fine," she said. "It's like going for a leisurely flight through the mountains just for the sake of flying. Except we're walking instead of flying, and you probably haven't ever flown through the mountains, living in the Kingdom of the Sea and all."

"I've passed through different parts of the continent," Orca said, "but you're right, I've never spent quality time among the mountains. I imagine what you're talking about would be quite like diving among the ocean trenches, though. There isn't any destination, but it's still enjoyable."

"I can't imagine spending all my time underwater," Carnelian mused aloud. "It would be so strange."

"Actually, spending all my time _out_ of the water was what I found strange," Orca said. "I'm used to it now, but I was born underwater and didn't come all the way out of it until I was old enough to navigate the currents standing between me and the surface."

Carnelian tried to put herself in Orca's talons. She'd never been to the ocean, so she didn't know what currents were like. The closest thing she could come up with was wind. It took skill to navigate the thermals, the way she imagined it would take skill to swim among the currents. They could blow an inexperienced flyer off course, but they could also carry a dragon swiftly across the sky if she knew what she was doing. So perhaps being born underwater would be like being born in the sky, with the winds keeping you aloft and away from the ground. After spending your entire life flying, it would be quite strange learning to walk.

"You look like you're thinking quite hard about something," Orca remarked. "Care to share?"

"It's nothing much," the SkyWing said. "Just trying to imagine your life."

The green dragonet's jaws curved into a wry smile. "It was quite unimaginable. Spending the first few months of my life underwater is the least of it."

Carnelian was intrigued, but the part of her that was dying to know had to wage war against the part of her that insisted it would be prying to ask about the SeaWing's life. _If there's anything she wants to discuss, she'll bring it up herself._ "That's right," she said, trying to make light of the situation. "It's 'was', past tense. I forgot we were all dead."

Orca's laugh was more of a snort this time. It was the first ungraceful thing Carnelian had seen her do, and it was oddly endearing. "I'm still amazed that you're able to forget that, considering what this place looks like," she said, waving one wing around to encompass all the gray and the fog surrounding them. Unusual ridges of stone had begun to form, like miniature mountains all around them, but it was still impossible to miss how empty this place was in comparison to the world they'd left behind. "But I do have to admit," Orca added, "being in this place feels incredibly similar to living."

"It's almost like we're not dead at all," Carnelian agreed. _Especially since, in some ways, I'm more alive here than I ever was in the world of the living._ The thought crossed her mind unbidden and made her brow furrow. _But what do I mean by that?_

She was trying to figure that out when Orca suddenly stopped and touched one talon to her shoulder. Carnelian felt a shiver run through her; the SeaWing's claws were like ice against her scales. "There's someone there," Orca said softly.

Carnelian whirled around, following her gaze. There were three figures coming into view on the horizon, all large, but each a different color. The lack of a fourth figure threw Carnelian off, so it took her an alarmingly long time to recognize who they were.

"We need to hide," she whispered frantically. Mercifully, the new ridges of rock were folded in places, creating a few pockets just large enough for them to squeeze themselves into. Orca was wise enough to follow along without asking who the other dragons were, tucking herself into an alcove across from Carnelian. The SkyWing could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she peered out of the rock at the approaching figures.

Those scars on the SandWing were unmistakable, as was the grayish hue of the SeaWing's scales. The RainWing's colors were shifting gray and white, almost blending into the world around them. _It's Burn's group,_ Carnelian thought. _But there's one missing._ She saw no sign of the small SandWing.

 _Where's Viper?_

"What?" Burn snapped suddenly, making Carnelian jump. Her fierce black gaze was fixated on the SeaWing, who was looking around warily. As she spoke, his eyes came to rest on her face, slowly sharpening as though what he was seeing was only now coming into focus.

"I thought I saw someone," he rasped, his voice barely audible to Carnelian's straining ears. "Or two someones." Carnelian's heart stopped for a moment, every drop of blood in her veins replaced by liquid terror. Then the storm-colored SeaWing turned away from them, gazing off into the distance. "But perhaps they were nothing more than ghosts from my mind."

"I don't have time for this," Burn growled. "I don't care how crazy you are; you're powerful, and that makes you useful. Just don't drive _me_ crazy. This world is messing enough with my head without your help."

Carnelian couldn't see much of the giant SeaWing's face from where she was crouching, but she could have sworn it twitched into a smile. It wasn't a pleasant expression.

"We need to keep going," Burn said. "I want to find a way out of here as soon as possible."

The three of them continued on until they disappeared from sight. Only then did Carnelian release the breath she was holding, letting it whoosh out of her lungs in a great sigh. "Three moons, that was close," she breathed. "Good thing these rocks were here. We would've been screwed without them."

"I think it was more than just good luck that they were here right when we needed a place to hide," Orca said. "Apparently we passed whatever test this world was giving us by sending the kelekona, because I think it just decided to help us out."

Carnelian took a moment to process that thought. _Would this world really go from toying with us for its own amusement to genuinely trying to help us? Seems doubtful to me._ She eyed her friend, who had gone silent. _Though if that's what Orca thinks, I'm inclined to trust her judgment._

 _But who's to say that helping us isn't just another game to it?_

The SeaWing gave herself a little shake, dispelling whatever thoughts were hanging over her as if they were drops of water on her scales. As always, it didn't take much to bring Carnelian's attention back to her. "I take it these are the dragons we've been hoping wouldn't come back?"

"Yeah," Carnelian answered. "Burn and her allies. I don't know the names of the other two, but they used to have a fourth dragon. Viper, another SandWing. I wonder what happened to her."

"Maybe they had an amicable split," Orca suggested. "Perhaps they decided they no longer needed each other and parted ways."

Carnelian wasn't convinced. "Somehow, I doubt it was anything that pleasant."

"I don't think so either," Orca agreed. "Burn wanted the lake the last time you saw her, if I remember your story correctly. Now she said something to the effect of 'we need to get out of here'. That seems like quite a change in attitude, doesn't it? Something must have happened to change her mind."

"You're right," Carnelian said, feeling unease settle into her bones. "We should really get back to the group. Burn didn't seem to be looking for the lake anymore, but what if she stumbles upon it by accident? I need to be there in case there's a confrontation."

"I'm sure they'd be fine," Orca said. "Burn's group is down one member, so that's only three dragons against Kestrel, Hvitur, Asha, Morrowseer, Arctic, and Naiad, even if Dune doesn't fight. But I agree, we should really get started on your lesson."

Carnelian was anxious to get back to the lake, but she bit back her protest. This would be a valuable skill to have, so she should at least try to learn while they were away. _Just in case Orca is right and we don't have another opportunity like this._ "Okay," she said. "What do I do?"

"Pick someone to try to find," Orca instructed. "The better you understand someone, the better this will work. That's why you should start with someone in the group rather than trying to use this technique to find new dragons."

Carnelian thought for a bit. _Who do I know the best?_ She felt like she knew Kestrel, but there was still a lot about the older SkyWing that she didn't understand. Naiad was another dragon she had connected to, but she and the blue SeaWing were vastly different, so she couldn't always empathize with her. The same went for Hvitur.

That left Asha. Carnelian and the MudWing also had considerably different outlooks on life, but something about Asha's calm kindness was easier to slip into than Naiad's deeply-rooted anxiety or Hvitur's constant over-analyzation. _Maybe it's that her mindset is also the easiest to get out of._ Whatever the reason, she had her dragon. "Got one," she said.

"Now try to think of what makes that dragon who they are," Orca said. "Gather up all their essence into one bundle and hold it in your mind."

Carnelian closed her eyes and focused on Asha. At first, she paid a lot of attention to how the MudWing looked: her warm brown eyes, her dark scales, her muscular frame. Then the SkyWing remembered what Orca had said the first time they'd used this technique. _I don't mean what she looks like. I mean her personality, her aura._ So she turned her attention to what she saw inside Asha's eyes: the compassion, the kindness, the unshakable optimism that annoyed and impressed her in equal measures. She thought of the MudWing's trust in her feelings and intuitions, of her faith in the prophecy and her appreciation of peace.

Asha the diplomat, the pacifist, the calm, dependable, loving friend they had all come to rely on for something. Carnelian took all that and brought it to the forefront of her mind, imagining it all coming together into one big ball.

"Now picture a cord forming between you and that bundle," Orca told her, seeming to sense when she was ready to move on to the next step. "Feel it connect you to the dragon you chose. Make sure it's secure."

It took Carnelian a few moments to connect the cord to her concept of Asha; when she first tried to imagine the rope, she almost lost her concentration and had to regather her thoughts. Eventually, she managed it, feeling the connection grow tight.

"One you have that," Orca said, "you should know where to go. You're connected to that dragon; just follow the rope and you'll find them."

It wasn't as easy as the SeaWing made it sound. Carnelian set off in the direction of the pull, but promptly lost her concentration as soon as her feet started moving. _Okay, I know Hvitur says I'm smarter than I think I am, but surely most dragons aren't dumb enough that they can't think about something and walk at the same time!_

"Try not to feel frustrated," Orca advised. "It takes a little while to get the hang of it."

A few starts and stops later, they were on their way, albeit more slowly than they'd been going when the green dragonet was leading them. Carnelian tried not to think about her pace; at this point, anything in her mind besides Asha was distracting. Even in the split-second it took her to notice that fact, she could feel the cord wavering.

A moment later, she felt it slip out of her mind's grasp. "Ugh," she growled. "This is _hard_. How did you ever get good enough at this that you could _hold a conversation_ while you were at it?"

Orca seemed to be fighting a smile; she wasn't quite able to squash it. "Practice. Lots of practice. Also, I do think I happen to be much better at multitasking than the average dragon."

"Is there anything you're _not_ good at?"

"Resisting temptation," the SeaWing said, in a tone that made it impossible for Carnelian to tell whether or not she was joking.

* * *

It seemed like eons, but eventually they made it back to the lake. The moment the tiny pinpricks of color that were their friends came into view, Carnelian let out a huge sigh of relief. In fact, she was so relieved that the constant pressure in the air seemed to disappear, and she took off, soaring the rest of the way back. Hvitur, Dune, Naiad, Arctic, and even Kestrel jumped in unison as she landed in their midst with a gentle thump.

"You should see your faces," Carnelian said, letting out a bark of laughter. Now that most of her concern had lifted, she found herself in an unusually good mood.

Orca was only a few wingbeats behind her. "Trying to leave me behind?" she teased.

Kestrel was the first to recover. "I'm not sure who you are or what you've done with Carnelian, but I want the old one back," she grumbled.

"I don't know," Asha said, starting to laugh in spite of the dirty look Kestrel was giving her. "I like this Carnelian."

"Any version of her is still one too many," Morrowseer rumbled.

Arctic gave the NightWing an appraising look. "I hate to say this, but I have to agree."

"Hey!" Carnelian exclaimed.

Despite her protest, she found that she wasn't really bothered. She knew Kestrel was just joking, in her own bad-tempered way, and any dislike Morrowseer and Arctic harbored for her was mutual, so their opinions didn't faze her. Besides, a good laugh was worth a little mocking thrown her way.

The group began to disperse, Arctic heading back to the edge of the lake as the others drifted somewhat aimlessly about. Rather than leaving, one figure drew closer to Carnelian.

"Pleased with yourself?" Hvitur asked, the corner of his mouth turning up in a rueful smile.

"Yes," Carnelian replied, grinning smugly.

"Hey Carnelian," Orca said, drawing the SkyWing's attention. "Don't you have something to mention to our overly-cautious friend?"

"Oh yeah," she said. Turning back to Hvitur and lowering her voice, she told him who they'd seen. "Viper was missing, though, and Burn didn't seem to be looking for the lake anymore," she finished. "She seemed more preoccupied with trying to find a way out of here."

Hvitur's eyes darkened. "On one talon, that's reassuring. On the other… that's deeply troubling."

"You're worried about what's suddenly made her so eager to leave, aren't you?" Orca said.

The IceWing nodded. "Even if we don't have to worry about Burn's group attacking anymore, whatever's frightened them might be worse."

"Do you think it's related to whatever happened to Viper?" Carnelian asked.

If it was possible for Hvitur to look any more worried, he did. "That seems… disturbingly likely," he said. He began to pace back and forth, his tail whipping in agitation.

"Oops," Carnelian said, watching him. "I think I set him off again."

"Better for him to be prepared," Orca pointed out. "If there's anything worse than running into trouble, it's running into trouble you didn't see coming."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading! The plot of this story is probably going to start picking up in the next few chapters, so it's really important that I take my time writing it so I don't leave out any important details or lose track of any of the various subplots running around. My schedule is also still very busy, so I can't promise any regular updates. However, I think I can safely say that you won't have to wait another year for the next chapter.**

 **Please, if too much time passes before the next update and you start to worry that I'm not coming back any time soon, please remind me I said that. XD I'll do my best.**

 **If you enjoyed this chapter (or just want to continue making my day), please leave a review. I love reading any and all feedback, and I'm curious to know if you have any theories as to where this story is going. (I'm aware it's been a bit of a mess thus far, so I don't blame you if you have no clue whatsoever.)**

 **Thank you again for sticking with this story. I can't tell you enough how much that means to me.**

 **-Blaze**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and support on the last chapter! Since I wrote an entire essay last time, I'll keep this note short and sweet. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire or any of its characters.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

"…no… tell me…"

The sound of someone muttering reached Carnelian's ears, pulling her out of her sleep. Still a little disoriented, she lifted her head, gazing around. _Wait, where did the army base go? What happened to all the decorations and that crazy piñata?_

A moment later, the absurdity of those thoughts registered in Carnelian's brain. _Ha,_ she thought. _I can't believe I thought that dream was real. The general would've expelled anyone who dared to throw a party in the base. Unless she was the one throwing it._

Carnelian stretched, forgetting what it was that had woken her until the sound came again. "I need to know!" The voice was oddly strangled. "I can't… just… stop it!"

The SkyWing looked around for the source of the noise, her entire body tense. No one who wasn't suffering ever sounded like that. Morrowseer, the dragon keeping watch, didn't seem to be the one talking. Nor did he seem interested in helping. He had to hear the voice, but he was ignoring it, examining his claws and looking bored.

"Who is that?" she hissed at the NightWing.

He pointed one talon in Arctic's direction.

Carnelian turned to face the IceWing. Now that Morrowseer had pointed it out, she could see him trembling. His claws clenched and unclenched, his face twisted in pain.

 _I don't like him… but it seems wrong to leave him like that._

After only a moment of hesitation, Carnelian tiptoed between the sleeping dragons, making her way to Arctic's side. Thankfully, the IceWing was at the edge of the group, so it would be easier to wake him without disturbing anyone else. "Hey," she said quietly, nudging the white dragon's shoulder. "Wake up."

Arctic's wings twitched, curling in on themselves. Something dark, barely visible in the gloom of the night, seemed to be moving around him. Carnelian's heart skipped a beat.

 _It's the moving darkness,_ she realized. _The one that got Naiad… and the one that got me._

She stared at Arctic for a moment, unsure of what to do. _I'm probably the dragon in the group who's least qualified to give emotional support of any kind. How am I supposed to help him?_

"Does he have some kind of IceWing disease?" Morrowseer inquired. "If so, I'd advise you to stay away from him. I don't care if you die, but I don't want you to spread it to the rest of us."

Carnelian gave an irritated huff. _Never mind,_ he's _the one who's least qualified. I can definitely do better than THAT._

Reaching down, she pinched the IceWing's ear. He jerked violently, but his eyes snapped open. She jumped back just in time to avoid a swipe from his ridged claws. "What in the name of Pyrrhia's three moons was _that_ for?" he hissed.

"You were having a nightmare," Carnelian said. "Or something," she added, gesturing to the thick blackness still swirling around him.

Arctic looked around him, puzzled. "Never mind that," he said abruptly. "I was about to learn something important. It was about to tell me."

 _What an ungrateful lizard._ "You were about to learn something… from a dream?" Carnelian echoed, skeptical. "I just dreamed about someone _throwing a party_. With colored lights and everything. Dreams are absolute nonsense. There's no way I could learn anything from _that._ "

The IceWing stared at her as though he couldn't decide whether she was crazy or just exceedingly strange. "No," he exhaled at last, sounding exasperated. "This wasn't just any dream."

Another possibility occurred to her. "Did you drink some of the water from the lake?"

"No," Arctic said, looking even more confused. "Why would I do that?"

"I had my reasons," Carnelian said, a bit defensively.

"Whatever." Arctic shook his head, as though trying to understand her had left a nasty impression on his brain that he wanted to be rid of as quickly as possible. "This wasn't the same as whatever weird experience you had with the water. This world itself was speaking to me."

 _Oh, that's right,_ Carnelian thought, feeling a little foolish. _When that darkness surrounds you, the world speaks to you. I guess it would still be the same, even when you're sleeping._

"What did it say?" she asked, overwhelmed with sudden curiosity.

The IceWing's blue eyes narrowed. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I woke you up from your nightmare," Carnelian reminded him.

"That wasn't a good thing," Arctic growled.

The SkyWing let out a huff of frustration. "Well, I tried."

Arctic considered that for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he sighed. "Fine. Whatever. I guess that should count for something. Even if you messed everything up."

Carnelian was too interested in his answer to let the jibe get under her scales. "So what was it?" she asked, lowering her voice. It was more because she realized how loud she had been speaking and she didn't want to wake anyone else than because she cared about the old dragon's privacy, but Arctic seemed to become suddenly aware of how many other dragons were nearby. He moved a few paces away from the group, a few tendrils of darkness still clinging to his eerily pale form. Carnelian, figuring this was a good idea, followed him.

Sparing one last glance around, Arctic leaned in closer. His eyes burned with such intensity that it was difficult to meet his gaze. "It said there was a way out of here."

Carnelian was reminded of Naiad's account of her time in the darkness. _If you wish to return…_ Her heart began to pound. Maybe Arctic had the rest of the sentence. _He could hold the key to getting out of here._

"What is it?" she demanded.

Arctic let out a low growl. "I don't know! That's what I was telling you! You woke me up before I could get a clear answer." His claws clenched, making small grooves in the stone beneath their feet. "It told me there was a way to go back, and it almost told me what it was. It _was_ telling me, actually. But the words were too jumbled, and I couldn't understand them."

Disappointment crept through Carnelian's entire being, as cold and heavy as the air on a foggy morning. "Oh," was all she could say.

"You see why I was angry you woke me up?" he asked bitterly. "Maybe if the voice had gotten a chance to repeat itself, I would've been able to figure out what it was saying."

"Probably not," Carnelian said. "Most likely, it was teasing you, keeping the answer just out of your reach on purpose. I don't think it really wanted you to know."

Arctic stared at her for a moment. Just as the SkyWing was sure he was going to yell at her again, or maybe try to throttle her, the fight in him seemed to die. "You're right," he sighed. And as the breath left his lungs in a great _whoosh_ , it blew away the last remnants of the moving darkness, until the air around the old IceWing was no gloomier than the rest of the world around them. "I'm sorry I got your hopes up, dragonet."

"Was there any part you did hear clearly?" Carnelian asked, trying to find some silver lining.

He glanced away, thinking. "It doesn't mean anything on its own, but I did catch the last few words. Some nonsense I couldn't decipher, and then… 'are the price of rebirth.'"

 _Rebirth._ The word sent an unexpected shiver down the young SkyWing's spine. _That's what my tribe always thought happened to us after we died. We would be born again as something else._ Carnelian was never quite sure if she believed it herself. _Is that our way out of here?_

"Does that mean something to you?" Arctic asked, watching her reaction.

"It's just a bit eerie," she admitted. "I don't know what it means though. Or what the 'price' might be."

"Hm." Arctic averted his gaze, seeming pensive. "Rebirth… I've heard the legends. Perhaps we would each be born as a new dragon, someone other than who we were when we left the world, and the price would be ourselves."

Carnelian found herself oddly struck by that line of reasoning. She turned it over in her mind. _Would being reborn as someone different really be all that bad? Maybe I'd be better at everything if I wasn't me._

"Well, I guess we'll never find out," Arctic sighed. "Might as well get some more sleep. Don't wake me up again unless it's something actually important." And with that, he strode away, back toward his sleeping spot at the edge of the group.

Carnelian made her way back to her own sleeping place, still mulling over the line Arctic had given her. _…are the price of rebirth… What is? Could Arctic be right, or is there something else we'd have to give up?_

"Is he contagious?" Morrowseer rumbled as Carnelian passed by him.

Too deep in thought to come up with a clever retort, she decided to go with the truth. "I don't think so."

 _Or at least not in the way you're thinking,_ she mused, knowing that what the white dragon had said would stick with her for quite a while.

* * *

Morning came, brighter than Carnelian expected it to be. Rays of light poked between the clouds swirling overhead, as though the afterworld had finally decided to move away from overcast and toward sunny, but gave up halfway there.

Perhaps they were still technically doing nothing, but for once Carnelian had something to occupy her thoughts. Her mind was still on the phrase Arctic had given her; more specifically, what she should do with it. _Should I keep it to myself? Or should I tell someone?_

 _Orca might be able to figure it out. I never actually promised Arctic not to tell anyone. It wasn't that personal, like what the darkness told me and Naiad. And we all already know he would want to go back to Pyrrhia if he got the chance, since that's where his girlfriend is._

 _Maybe I should tell Naiad. She's the only one who knows about these odd messages the world gave us. It makes the most sense to tell her out of everyone._

Carnelian glanced at the blue SeaWing, who had managed to find a moment when Arctic wasn't hogging the lake and use the water's magic herself. From where she was standing, Carnelian couldn't see what the image on the surface was, but she could guess. _She's probably watching her son. Making sure he's okay. I bet she would give anything to be able to go back and see him again._

 _But maybe that makes it a_ bad _idea to tell her,_ Carnelian realized. _If I can't give her an actual answer, just telling her that there is a way might be getting her hopes up too much. And what if she could only be reborn as someone else? Her son wouldn't even recognize her, and who knows if she would recognize him either. Would it even be worth going back if she couldn't be with the dragons she loves?_

 _But shouldn't she be the one to decide whether or not she's strong enough to handle it? I know I would rather know as much as I can than have someone keep something from me because they're trying to protect me. Not that anyone would do that for me. But that's a good thing._

Carnelian was still wrestling with the decision when Kestrel beckoned her over with a flick of one wing. "Hey Carnelian," she called. "I need your eyes for a minute."

"Just my eyes?" the younger SkyWing asked, coming to stand beside her friend. Secretly, she was grateful for the interruption. "Not sure how to give you those without the rest of me."

"You know what I mean," Kestrel grumbled, though she seemed slightly amused. "Look over there." She gestured with a jerk of her chin. "Tell me what you see."

Carnelian didn't see anything immediately. She squinted in the direction Kestrel was looking, wondering belatedly if the older SkyWing was playing a trick on her. She was about to ask if that was the case when she noticed a hint of movement on the horizon.

"I don't think that's a dragon," Carnelian said, trying to make out what it was. It seemed to be flickering in and out of view, like a lit candle trying to stay alive in the wind. "I hope it's not that moving darkness again."

 _Or maybe I should hope that it is. Maybe it would give us another clue to something._

"Whatever it is, it looks big," Kestrel remarked.

"Three moons," Carnelian said, as another possibility registered in her brain. "What if it's another monster? Not the kelekona, but something else?"

"Then we'd better be on our guard," Kestrel advised.

 _It seems more like smoke than flesh and bone,_ Carnelian thought, watching the figure blur and grow clearer again. _Whatever that is, it doesn't look capable of hurting us. It's like it's barely here at all._

"What are you two staring at?" Hvitur asked, approaching.

"That's a good question," Carnelian said. She indicated the oncoming figure with a vague wave of her claws. "Maybe you could find out and let us know the answer?"

The IceWing was silent for a moment, considering. "I think… it's a dragon," he said slowly.

"Really," Kestrel said drily. "I'd love to know what a dragon would have to eat to get that big."

"It could be a RainWing," Carnelian mused. "Who doesn't know how to camouflage herself properly."

By now, most of the group had begun to sense that something was happening. Asha drifted over to join them, Dune following more slowly. Orca, Arctic, and even Morrowseer glanced curiously in their direction. Only Naiad, who was still absorbed in the lake's visions, didn't seem to notice anything.

Then, suddenly, with more vigor than Carnelian had ever seen him do anything, Arctic ran forward, almost knocking Asha and Kestrel over. The older SkyWing hissed at him, but he ignored her. "No," he breathed. "That can't be who I think it is."

Carnelian was taken aback by the emotions that twisted his face. It was an odd blend of shock, disbelief, rage, and something else that gave his eyes a faraway look. _Not his girlfriend,_ she decided. _He wouldn't look so angry if it was._

 _But who else would be able to make such an impression on this cold, bitter dragon?_

Finally, the approaching figure stood before them. He was even more impossibly massive than he had looked from afar, and Carnelian had to crane her head back to take in any part of him besides his feet and legs. His scales were dark, but had an odd sort of pearly sheen. Stars dotted the undersides of his wings, which were so large that they really did look like swaths of the night sky. Droplets of silver adorned the outer edge of each dark eye. At first, she thought he was definitely a NightWing, but then she spotted a row of ice-colored scales below each wing and noticed how long and twisted his horns were.

 _He's part IceWing,_ Carnelian realized. _I thought all the NightWings and the IceWings hated each other. How did this happen?_

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Arctic's voice. "It _is_ you," he snarled.

The massive dragon didn't seem bothered by the obvious hostility being thrown his way. He smiled down at them, the expression somehow both charming and deadly. "Hello Father," he said. "Did you miss me?"


End file.
